Power Rangers Dragon's Roar
by Foowd
Summary: Fifty years have passed since Malefor was defeated. Spyro has become a victim of his own aging body but fears heroes might be needed to fight Malefor in his stead. However, Malefor has set his sights on the human realms, so Spyro must call upon four seemingly normal teens to stand between their earth and the Dark Master as Power Rangers. (Remake of Power Rangers Dragon Legends)
1. Prologue: The Never Ending War

**Author's Note: **

**Hey you, I bet you have more than a few questions for me right now, most notably "where have you been Foowd?"**

**Well, the answer was, I had to move computers again. Yes my "new" laptop died on me and I had to spend an obscene amount of time and money setting up my new desktop PC, in hopes a PC would last longer than a laptop.**

**That… and I kinda got really burnt out on my TMNT story and desperately wanted to do something else for a while. Thus this rewrite of Power Rangers Dragon Legends was born!**

"**But Foowd! Why not just keep writing Dragon Legends?"**

**Well… you want me to be completely honest? I wasn't very proud of it. I thought I rushed it too much and took it in directions I didn't care for. Not to mention my writing has improved significantly since I started that story. **

**Not to mention that when I first started the original, I only had my DVD collection of Mighty Morphin and my vague memories of the other seasons to go on for how a Power Rangers season goes. Now I've watched through Dino Thunder, SPD, RPM, some of Jungle Fury, some of Wild Force, vanilla Ninja Steel, and vanilla Samurai (I am yet to watch through the "super" versions of either yet). So I'm **_**far**_ **more familiar with the ebb and flow of a typical Power Rangers season than I was before. **

**And why did I change its name? Because truth be told, I never liked the name "Dragon Legends" and only went with it because "Power Rangers Dragon Fury" was taken. "Dragon's Roar" just sounds a bit cooler in my opinion. **

**I also want to take the time to say that, sorry, I'm not taking ranger submissions this time. One of the problems I had was that I had too many rangers running around and I typically work better with smaller casts. I want to keep the ranger count to at **_**most**_ **six this time. I **_**will**_ **however accept monster suggestions!**

**Power Rangers and all related characters belong to Toei and Hasbro, Spyro the Dragon and all related characters belong to Activision games. I am not either of these, I'm just some idiot who has terrible luck with computers. This is a fully fan created story and should be regarded and treated as such.**

* * *

**Prologue: The Never Ending War**

* * *

Look at the world around you, tell me what you see. You'd probably describe the same world most humans would. A typical house or apartment with the typical forest, suburb, or even city outside it's window. It's the world you've known as long as you can remember. But what if I were to tell you that just beyond the walls of your reality, there was another existing in tandem with it? This is **my** world… known to those who live in it as the "Dragon Realms". A place with fantastic creatures and wondrous magic.

However, just like your own world, we too had our conflicts… but ours? Ours spans centuries… and it all began with a purple dragon.

He was born to a dragon society who had never seen his kind before. Every dragon was typically born to one of four elements, fire, ice, electricity, or earth. There were whispers of elements beyond the basic four, but rumors were all they were. However this purple dragon didn't fit into any of the four. However, it didn't take long to find out the reasons behind it, as this dragon suddenly mastered fire. Something that came as a shock to the dragon guardians as he was clearly not a fire dragon. The other four elements soon followed, revealing the true nature of is purple color.

Purple dragons were a rare breed of dragon, only born once every ten generations. Able to master every known dragon element while the typical dragon could only master one. Naturally this filled the dragon's heads with visions of a new age, the purple dragon himself being a kind and charitable creature certainly helped reinforce those hopes. However… while they would be right about this dragon bringing a new age… it would be one drenched in blood.

Over time as the purple dragon grew, his kind nature soon began to transform into arrogance. At first he had only sought to do good, but eventually his only concern was to become more and more powerful. His lust for power soon began to worry the guardians, who made the difficult decision to banish the purple dragon.

Little did they know, that that decision would echo throughout the centuries… as the purple dragon hadn't taken is banishment lightly. His arrogance had become warped into malice and hatred. The next time that dragon would be seen, he would bring death and destruction with him… and all would know and fear the name… Malefor.

This would continue for generations, not even confinement within the Well of Souls would stop his rampage, as others would carry out his deadly ambitions in his name.

However, soon another purple dragon would enter the battle… me… Spyro. My own history was a long and complicated one. I was one of only two survivors of the infamous temple raid, where Malefor sought to have his armies destroy every dragon egg of that "year of the dragon" to… ironically enough, prevent **my** birth specifically.

I was raised by a family of dragonflies until the inevitable day I discovered my true heritage. In my travels to discover my true destiny, I would encounter a fire dragon by the name of Ignitus, who would not only teach me fire and the truth of my destiny, but would also become something of a father figure to me. Eventually though I would meet the **other** survivor of that temple raid… a black dragoness by the name of Cynder, although it wasn't exactly an ideal reunion. Twisted by Malefor's evil through the ape king Gaul, Cynder sought to free Malefor from Convexity by kidnapping Ignitus' fellow guardians and using their elemental magic to free the Dark Master, but was ultimately stopped and freed from his dark influence by me.

Cynder and I would face many challenges after that, eventually defeating Gaul during the Eternal Night. But Malefor would find himself free once more, and attempted to carry out his ambitions of destruction. However, through a long and difficult battle, and the loss of Ignitus, Malefor was imprisoned once more by The Ancestors… never to torment the people of the Dragon Realms again… or so many thought.

But I always had doubts I had seen the last of my predecessor. No… deep down I **knew** that Malefor would return to finish what he had started. Decades passed, Cynder and I had become mates and even intended on starting a family, but Malefor's return still loomed over me… haunted me…

Not helped by the presence of the "Order of Malefor", a group of dark magic users who worshiped Malefor as some kind of god. Naturally, being one of the two dragons that helped seal their "god" away, they didn't much care for me. I've had to fight them off more than a few times. But those encounters slowly began to reveal a terrifying truth.

Age was catching up to me.

I was getting close to the same age Ignitus was when he first encountered me. If memory serves, he too was starting to struggle with his aging body, especially when using large amounts of elemental power. Normally I would have taken it as a sign to retire from hero work and live out my golden years with my family. But I knew Malefor was still out there, that "The Order" was hunting for him and may actually **find** and even **free** him someday. I couldn't risk Malefor returning and me being too old and weak to fight him again.

However… a solution would come in the form of a mysterious stranger...

I'll never forget the day he approached me in the dragon temple, he claimed to be from another world just beyond the one I lived in. He told me he had come to this world after seeing a vision of Malefor's return and sought to give me another means of defending the world. He told me of an ancient, mysterious force known only as the "Morphing Grid", that… when tapped into, could grant someone amazing powers and connect them to powerful machines known as "zords". The figure offered to construct me a set of "morphers" and "zords", so I could one day call upon a team of heroes to battle Malefor in my place.

At first I was skeptical, his claims were more than a bit far fetched to put it kindly. But age was rapidly sneaking up on me, and I couldn't risk Malefor returning and me being unable to fight him off. So I accepted his offer. He had told me he needed a source of dragon magic to charge the morphers with to allow them access to the Morphing Grid. We both agreed that the morphers would be charged by Spirit Gems… but would require empowerment by dragons to accomplish what we desired.

Eventually, I had decided to empower these morphers with the magic of my four mentors. Three of which, while still alive, were quite weak from age. But they still had enough power to charge the spirit gems I would use for the morphers. The last one however… would require me to call upon the spirit of my departed fire master Ignitus… it took time, patience, and a trip to the very soil his death occurred upon. But eventually, I managed to charge the last spirit gem.

With the morphers complete, the stranger informed me that I would still need to be alive to guide and train this new team. This would… require me to sacrifice the very thing I was trying to protect… my family.

I spent what felt like an eternity agonizing over this decision, I… I didn't want to leave my beloved Cynder, our child, my friends… how can I abandon them? But… I knew deep down that the stranger was right… I couldn't abandon m duties… I needed to be there to guide this team of heroes just as Ignitus had done for me.

So… reluctantly… I used the same Dragon Time power I had used during the Eternal Night to freeze myself… awaiting the day Malefor would return… so I could call upon four brave heroes to become…

The Dragon Roar Power Rangers…

* * *

_**Human Realms…**_

_**Outskirts of New Harmony, USA…**_

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

Fifty years…

That was how long Malefor had spent in his crystal prison. How long our order had existed and searched high and low to free him so he may carry out his holey quest. I myself had only been a member for five of those years, but rose through the ranks of it rather quickly with the same determination and ambition that had gotten me banished from my wolf pack. Such small minded mutts they were, for the very thing they exiled me for had now allowed The Order to accomplish its holey mission.

We had found Malefor's prison.

We magi had known of this other world since the dawn of our order, we referred to it as the "Human Realms", due to its abundance of creatures known as "humans" who occupied the same level of unearned reverence as the accursed dragons for which our own world took its name. I know not why it took so long for us to even consider that The Ancestors might hide him in **this** world. Perhaps it was arrogance? That the headmasters of old figured that not even The Ancestors themselves knew of this foreign world we had happened upon. But I **never** overlooked such possibilities…

"Is this the spot Scorn?" asked one of my fellow followers, this was Rikor, a mage I had managed to recruit from The Sorceress a couple of years back. He wasn't the brightest lizard in the realms, but there were few as skilled with conjuring monsters than he was.

I fished a crystal from my pocket, it was one of Malefor's creation, a "dark crystal" he had crafted during the latter stages of the war to drain the power of dragons that dared oppose him. It was still tied directly to his own magic, making it perfect for tracking him with a few magical alterations by me.

The crystal began to softly glow a red hue, he was here. "Yes Rikor, this is where the ancestors hid him," I said. "Prepare the ceremony! Today is the day the Dark Master rises again," I instructed the magi.

Without a word the magi went to work, drawing a symbol onto the ground and placing candles around its circumference. I took out my spell book and began to chant the incantation. At first nothing happened, making me worry slightly in the back of my mind that this ritual wouldn't work, but eventually the ground began to shake violently as a crystal began to rise from the earth. Inside this crystal was Malefor himself, a look of shock frozen upon his face.

That was one part of the ritual done, now for the crystal prison itself. This incantation would thankfully be far more simple. I removed a dagger from my belt and softly cut one of my hands. With the blood I began to draw a symbol onto the crystal. Sadly, a prison this powerful required the use of blood magic, but I'd be fine after a bandage or two. With one chant of an incantation, the crystal began to crack until it eventually exploded into pieces.

Malefor fell limply to the ground, coughing and sputtering. I could imagine over fifty years in a crystal prison had sapped most of his energy. "Master, do you need a hand?" I asked as I tried to help him to his feet.

However, to my surprise, Malefor simply shoved me away with his paw, sending me flying back a good ten feet at least! "Away from me fool!" he snarled before sitting himself upright. "How long?" he asked me. I didn't know exactly what he meant by the question until he sharply glared at me, "How long was I trapped in there?" he snarled.

The mages of the order fell silent. We all knew how long it had been since his defeat, that number had been practically **burned** into our minds. But half a century was a **long** time to be trapped, and we all knew that Malefor would not be pleased to learn how long he had been trapped for.

However, someone had to answer him, and since his glare was in **my** direction, that someone was **me**. "Fifty years my lord," I said.

Malefor's reaction was what you would expect it to be, a mix of mild shock and anger. He no doubt found it insulting he had been trapped for that long. Although according to legend he had been trapped for far longer before so it probably did not shock him as much as it would common folk. Malefor's surprise changed to confusion as he looked at his surroundings, "What is this place? Where am I?" he asked.

Again, it was on me to explain. "You are in a realm known as "The Human Realms", a world completely separate from the Dragon Realms," I explained. "My guess was that The Ancestors hid you here in hopes of preventing your allies from finding and freeing you," I theorized.

Malefor walked right by me, not uttering a single word. He stopped at a cliff, gazing upon the human city in the distance. "Such an impressive looking city… isn't it wolf?" he asked me. Confused, I looked upon the city with my own eyes. It **was** quite lavish, far more so than any city our own world had to offer.

"I… I suppose so," I answered. I was still unsure as to why he was so interested in this irrelevant human city.

"And tell me, what creatures inhabit such a city?" Malefor asked.

"Creatures known as "humans" my lord," I answered.

"How powerful are these… "humans"?"

"Not very," I answered. "From my observation, humans are barely as strong as the apes you once commanded," I added.

Malefor stood silent for a long time, lost in thought. I dared not utter a word, I knew full well what would happen if I angered the Dark Master, and I knew not where I stood as far as he was concerned. However, eventually… "So the ancestors believed they could keep me from being freed by sending me to a world full of weaklings," he said before turning to me. "Once again they failed to contain me, and now… these… "humans", will pay the price for their hubris," he said coldly. "Come, we must make preparations," he then instructed us.

"It's time this "Human Realms", learned to fear the Dark Master,"

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Dragon Temple, Unknown Realm…**_

_**Spyro…**_

* * *

The first sounds I heard were the cracking of my crystal prison, my eyes opened to see the same cave I had placed myself into ancestors know how long ago. I felt a little weak, spending so long trapped in a crystal would do that to you I guess. But despite this I knew I had to act fast, as I had designed the prison to only release me if Malefor had escaped, tying it magically to his own crystal prison. Meaning that if I was free, so was **he**.

I slowly made my way to the main chamber of the temple I had ordered constructed before putting myself to sleep. It kind of struck me just how similar it was to the one I had trained with Ignitus in, despite my desire to sort through nostalgic memories of old, I knew there was very important work to be done, Malefor wouldn't wait long to begin his attack on the Dragon Realms, no knowing him he would start the assault before anyone even knew he had broken free.

I arrived in the main chamber, there sat the four morphers just as I had left them, but they were not what I sought right now. No, that would be the pool of visions at the center of the room. Over the years since Malefor's previous defeat, I learned how to use vision pools like this one, it would hopefully give me some insight as to what Malefor's first plan of attack was so I could plan accordingly.

I sat myself in front of the pool, staring deeply into its murky water before I eventually managed to will a vision into being. However, the image I saw was not what I expected, it was of Malefor like I had desired, but it was obvious from his surroundings that he was not in the Dragon Realms. I then remembered that stranger had told me of another realm, could that be where he was?

I then thought back to what had happened to Malefor, to see if I could see how he could have possibly been in that other realm. I remember being told Malefor had been sealed in the center of the earth, but… maybe it wasn't **this** earth? It made sense, why seal him in our realm where his followers could eventually find him, when you could seal him in another realm where his followers theoretically couldn't follow? But even so, it clearly didn't work, as he was free once more and I could see in the vision that he had an army with him.

I felt my anger begin to build, this realm didn't do anything to deserve this! Involving them in our own war, it turned my stomach. I could see visions of the people of that realm, there were no dragons there to protect them, just these ape like creatures left to fend for themselves. I began to see visions of a possible future, where Malefor was gleefully slaughtering these helpless creatures, their weapons completely useless against the mad dragon and his dark armies.

But why? Why would Malefor choose to attack this realm instead of pursuing vengeance on the realm that defeated him? Was it a show of power? An attempt to make the Ancestors see the error of their decision? Or was it just Malefor's sick, twisted nature? Whatever the case, I can't allow this to happen!

The Ancestors may be willing to forsake this alien realm, but **I'm** not! I looked to the morphers, I had intended on choosing Dragon Realm denizens to inherit their power, but now that this other realm was involved, it only seemed right to choose creatures **from** that realm to defend it.

But who to choose? I couldn't just give these powers to anyone, and these creature's resemblance to the apes didn't elude me. I couldn't trust such power in the hands of those that would abuse it. No they needed to be in the hands of someone who would use them for the right purpose. Brave and noble people who would do anything to protect their world and possibly the Dragon Realms as well.

But where would I find such people?

* * *

**A/N: Where indeed?**

**One of the things I want to accomplish with this story is try to slow the pace down a bit and flesh out the characters more, since one of the biggest problems I had with the original was how little time I spent on the actual character development. **

**Be sure to leave a review and tell me if I'm screwing up this remake or not. Feedback is **_**very**_ **important to me.**


	2. A New Beginning

**Chapter 1: A New Beginning**

* * *

_**New Harmony, Human Realms, Early Morning…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

New Harmony…

It was one of those cities where nothing ever seemed to really happen, nothing truly noteworthy I mean. It just sort of existed in its own little bubble, completely unremarkable when compared to any other American city. I've lived here my whole life and I can only recall one time the city ever had anything of note happen to it. If you're that curious, said thing was some absurdly large pumpkin that some guy grew in his backyard. It wasn't even really that big it was just slightly larger than normal. He **did** with a blue ribbon for it though so there's _that_ at least.

But enough about the boring city I live in, you're probably wondering who **I** am, right? My name's Dylan Samuel Foutler, currently starting my senior year of high school at the ripe age of seventeen. If you looked at me, the first thing you'd probably think is "_why is your hair so long?_" or "_Why do you __**always**_ _wear red?" _These are both perfectly valid questions that I can only answer with "Because I like it that way".

If you were to see me right now you'd see I was currently in my beat up old car with a bagel in my mouth and staring intently at the traffic light like a dog desperately begging for a treat. See, I had made the rookie error of forgetting to set my alarm clock for the first day of school and thus woke up about an hour later than I should have. I had only about ten minutes to make the drive to school after hastily dressing myself and forgoing brushing my teeth or even applying deodorant, I was lucky to even get that previously mentioned bagel before flying out the door.

Once the light finally changed to green I was allowed to continue my journey to school. I took a hesitant look at my car radio's clock. "_Seven fifty eight_" it read, meaning I had less than two minutes to get to school before first period. Not good, since I had a good couple of blocks to go between where I was and my destination.

I already had a less than stellar reputation at school, being a skater it sorta came with the territory. If I arrived late on my **first** day Mister Layfield was never going to let me hear the end of it. But there was little I could do outside of disregarding basic traffic laws and gunning it through the streets like I was playing Grand Theft Auto. And since I wasn't exactly willing to explain to mom why I went on a vehicular rampage through New Harmony I chose to drive safely instead.

Eventually I managed to make it to the school parking lot. Unfortunately for me, parking spaces were kind of at a premium at New Harmony High School. As such, we all had **assigned** parking spaces, and because fate is cruel, mine was on the other end of the campus.

I looked at the clock, seven fifty nine! Crap, I've got less than a minute to park and make it in the building before the first bell. I hastily parked in my space, not even caring that my parking job was spotty at best, I didn't have time to worry about how crooked my car was I had to hoof it before I wound up being late!

I quickly grabbed my backpack, exited the car, and legged it across the parking lot in a stride that would make The Flash feel self conscious. I just kept running and running, the front door was within my sights! I'm gonna make it! I'm gonna ma-

Wham! I suddenly ran into a rather large boy wearing a green Letterman jacket. It didn't take a rocket scientist to discern who it belonged to. The jock who had made it his life's mission to make me as miserable as possible, Jacob Roth. He was flanked on both sides by his typical goons, two very **very** large linemen known simply as the Harris twins.

Roth gave me that look like I had just murdered his hamster or something. "Dude! You scuffed my jacket mop head!" he whined as he dusted off his precious jacket. "You looking for a whooping straight out the gate?" he asked.

I groaned as I got to my feet. I swear, only Roth would be so full of himself to think **I** was at fault for him getting in **my** way. "Buzz off interception king, some of us actually **want** a decent education," I said as I tried to walk past him.

Roth however placed his hand on my shoulder and lightly shoved me back. Telling me in one motion that I wasn't getting out of this so easily. "Oh no… you don't **get** to disrespect me like that mop head and just walk away," he said. "Boys… I think it's time to remind Foutler who's king around here," he said.

Out of instinct I took a fighting stance. I had taken Tae Kwon Do as a kid, granted, I hadn't really dedicated myself **too** much too it since then, but I knew enough to take on Roth and his goons.

However, Roth seemed more **amused** by my stance than anything. "Oh… lookie boys, Foutler knows Kung Fu! Oh I'm **real** scared now!" he laughed.

However, before a single punch could be thrown. "What is going on out here?!" asked the voice of a teacher. Onto the scene stumbled a middle aged man in a navy blue suit and an obviously fake blonde toupee. This was the infamous Vice Principal Layfield, a bitter ball of hatred vaguely in the shape of a school administrator.

Unfortunately, he and I had… history. He **hated** me, mainly because I was a skateboarder and according to Layfield, all skateboarders were degenerate, criminal **scum** who ruined his school's handrails. "Picking fights with our star quarterback again Foutler?" he asked me.

Oh come on! You cannot be **that** biased! It was obvious Roth was the aggressor here not me! "I'm not allowed to defend myself? Dude was about to sick tweedle dee and tweedle dumb on me!" I protested.

Layfield raised an eyebrow, "I only see **one** of you in a fighting stance Foutler, you know school policy, you fight you get detention," he said. This was ridiculous! Roth attacks **me** and **I** get punished?

I can't believe this! Roth tries to assault me, but **I** get busted for having the audacity to defend myself! What a crock! "Now… I suggest you get to class, you're both running a bit late," said Layfield before walking off.

"Have fun in detention Foutler!" scoffed Roth as he and his goons left, laughing like cartoon villains the whole way. I can't believe that just happened. Whatever, I gotta get to class before this stupidity gets any worse.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Classroom 32-B…**_

_**Kevin Naton….**_

* * *

You could really tell it was the first day of school by how much chatter there was in the air. Usually homeroom period was used as time to make up "forgotten" homework and maybe the occasional conversation. But since there was no homework to be made up, it was **strictly** conversation. I could hear a group of girls talking about who they saw Chad Lokai holding hands with, a group of guys talking about how they spent their summers. Just typical teenager stuff really. This was of course not helped by the fact the homeroom teacher had stepped out for unknown reasons, thus he was unable to control the volume of the students.

Usually I'd be among those chatting about their summer adventures, but I didn't really **want** to think about the warzone that had become my home life over the summer. My parents had been fighting a lot lately. About what you ask? Everything. Which college I would be attending, what we were gonna have for supper that night, who's gonna pay for car repairs. It just felt to me like they had been looking for **any** excuse at all to start screaming incoherently at one another. Try as I might I just couldn't get my mind off it all, it and the inevitable divorce that would no doubt follow.

I never thought in a million years I'd consider **school** of all things an escape. School was where angry teachers and petty social politics lived. But after **that** summer, I almost _welcomed_ them. I sighed as I buried my face into my desk. All I really wanted was at least a **few** moments were people weren't screaming bloody murder at one another.

But of course, as with all forms of peace, it was to be short lived. I heard a voice cry out after the sound of a hand slamming on a desk. It wasn't really a _scream, _more of a surprised yelp. I turned my head to see a rather punkish looking kid looming over a rather meek looking boy. "Hey dork, you're in my seat," he snarled.

The meek boy sorta stammered a bit, desperately trying to come up with a response that wouldn't send the bully into a blind rage. "I… I uh… the seats aren't...uh… assigned," he fumbled before the bully slapped the back of his head.

The bully then grabbed the back of the child's seat, pulling it towards him causing the seat to tip and fall over. Taking the poor kid with it. "I told you not to talk back to me Fuller!" he growled.

I couldn't watch this anymore. I stood up from my chair, "Come on man, it's the first day of school, can't we all just get along?" I asked. I was hoping the ol' Naton charm would spare this poor kid the wrath of this bully. But given the fact the bully looked at me like I had just told him to gargle bleach, I don't think it's working.

The bully slowly approached me, "This ain't got nothin' to do with you Naton, so **you** back off," he said before lightly shoving me.

I sighed, knowing full well this idiot was only interested in a fight. "First of all, "ain't" ain't a word," I said, "Second, how exactly is that seat "yours"? It's the first day of school and thus, your first day in this homeroom," I explained. "I'm just trying to understand the **logic** here," I added.

You know, mom always did tell me my mouth would get me killed one day, and it seems my snark had triggered something in the bully's small lizard brain as he immediately took a swing at me. Unfortunately for punchy over there, I had some formal martial arts training. My dad used to run a Tae Kwon Do studio back when I was a kid and I of course trained under him. So dodging his incredibly sloppy punch was almost **insultingly** easy.

I knew full well the trouble I'd get in if I fought back, so I simply just kept dodging his punches hoping he would tire himself out. This went on for a good couple of minutes before the bully wound up overstepping and fell right into a desk, knocking it and the chair parked in front of it to the ground.

At first I found this kind of funny, like something ripped right out of a YouTube fail compilation. But then… "What is going **on here**?!" cried the homeroom teacher. So he chooses **now** to return and actually **do** his job!

I needed to defuse this situation quickly, because I looked **really** bad right now standing over this bully like this. "I… I can explain!" I said, "I was trying to get this guy to stop hassling some kid when he came swinging at me! I didn't lay a hand on him! He did this to himself!" I tried to explain.

However, "Doesn't matter Mister Naton, you know school policy when it comes to fights, both parties get detention, no exceptions," he explained. "As noble as your intentions were Kevin, you are **not** the law here, I'll see you **both** after school," he said.

Oh come on! I literally **never** touched the guy! But I get punished regardless because of a technicality! And of course, the bully himself wasn't too thrilled. "You shoulda just butted out Naton! I'll get you for this!" he said before stomping his way back to his seat.

God… what a grand first day right?

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Girl's Restroom…**_

_**Jessica Fox…**_

* * *

I knew I was running late for class, but a part of me wasn't exactly jumping at the chance to reconnect with my fellow classmates. Being so low on the social totem pole as I was, who could blame me?

I couldn't help but stare at myself in the mirror. The crystal blue eyes of my reflection gazing back at me. I looked slightly tired, my skin kinda pale. My brunette hair tied in a ponytail. I wore a black and yellow hoodie that was about two sizes too big for me over tight blue jeans. I basically looked like your classic introvert stereotype.

I spent a good long while trying to muster up the courage to face my fellow students again. To overcome my social anxieties and just **go out there. **

Eventually, I managed to will myself to exit the bathroom and enter the hallway. I instinctively shrank into myself, tightly hugging my backpack like a frightened child would a stuffed animal. Every person I walked by made me more and more anxious. I was always nervous around other people. It's been that way since I was very little. Severe social anxiety had basically limited myself to only one friend, and Dean was only my friend by default, since our parents knew each other and thus we grew up together.

Sometimes, a part of me wished I could be as outgoing as Dean was, he always seemed to want to be friends with everyone, and he was so charming everyone wanted to **be** friends with him. But I could never be like that, I'm too soft spoken, too awkward, too _pathetic_ to be anywhere **near** that confident around people.

I soon arrived at my locker. I was fully aware I was running late for homeroom, but eating a tardy was more preferable to me than risking the chance of running into one of the many people who have made it their life's goal to ruining my own existence.

"Good morning to **you** pretty lady,"

I turned to see a young African American boy leaning against the locker next to mine. This was the previously mentioned Dean Mack, my only real friend in this world. He was so much larger than I was, both in height **and** build. He was always the active type, even back when we were little. His hair as done up in long, flowing dreadlocks that came down to his broad shoulders. He was currently wearing the jersey for the school football team he played wide receiver for, the number eighty nine plastered on his chest in bright white font. Dean's face was fixed into a bright, toothy smile. Showing off his seemingly perfect white teeth that practically glistened like freshly polished pearls.

"You sure took your time getting to your locker, I was beginning to worry you might have skipped school or something," Dean pointed out.

I always hated it when Dean got like this, how he always felt the need to look out for me despite me never asking for it. I knew he was just trying to be a good friend, but I still felt I was owed at least a **little** privacy. "I just don't feel up to dealing with you-know-who today," I said flatly as I began to place my stuff in my locker, taking out the supplies I believed I'd need for first period.

Dean sounded with a slight chortle, "Veronica Stone?" he said, "I mean, she's a nasty piece of work, but is she really worth being late for homeroom on your first day?" he asked me.

I closed my locker, "It's not just her, you know how I **get** around large groups of people," I said.

"You know, those "large groups of people" wouldn't be so intimidating if you'd actually put yourself out there," Dean suggested. "Come on Jess, you're a great girl, you're smart, you're creative, you could have so many more friends than you do now if only you'd just give people a chance," he said.

This was sadly a very common conversation between me and Dean, he's always been trying to get me to be more social like him. But, "Dean, I'm not like you, "putting myself out there" doesn't come as easy for me as it does for you," I said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta get to homeroom," I said before abruptly leaving.

Again, I know he means well, but Dean never suffered from social anxieties like I did. He could never **really** understand how hard it is for someone like me to break out of that shell.

Things were far simpler for me this way… one day he'll hopefully get it.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Outskirts of New Harmony…**_

_**Malefor…**_

* * *

The years I had spent imprisoned had weakened my power immensely. I knew I wouldn't be strong enough to carry out this world's destruction yet. This realm apparently lacked dragons, and thus lacked gems for me to recharge my power. But Scorn and his followers insured me that this realm's people were too weak to capitalize on my weakened state, and that I would indeed have time to recharge.

Still, I wanted to begin this world's reckoning as soon as possible. Seeing that human city, how bright and gleaming it was, the arrogance of these "humans" irradiated off of it like a pungent odor. This world **needed** to be put in its place, it's people to be shown **true **power and fear! And it would begin just like all of my wars, with the construction of fortress. I didn't want to risk returning to the Dragon Realms yet, not where that infernal purple dragon Spyro and his little girlfriend Cynder could find me. No… I want their first taste of my return to be the ruins of this pitiful world, and the remains of it's worthless people… so that they **personally** see the mistake they made in banishing me to his world… and that the blood of this world's people would be on **their **claws!

I came to a stop at a large mountain, it's size was **just** right for a new Mountain of Malefor. "This is the place," I said flatly. I couldn't help but notice the confused looks of my followers. The pitiful creatures seemed to know very little of my power.

Using my earth breath, I broke a hole right in the mountain's center, revealing a cave. I slowly marched into the cave's center. Memories of when I was first banished by the Guardians flooded my head, I remembered the sheer rage and malice that raged through my young mind. Rage so powerful it split the earth and created the Well of Souls.

I stopped at the very center of the cave and attempted to recreate that very rage and malice to birth a new Well of Souls. This would be quite difficult, for I could sense that this world had very little magic within it. But there was still dark, restless souls, enough for me to begin the well's construction.

I began to focus on my hatred for Spyro and Cynder, the indignity they inflicted upon me by defeating me and allowing those toothless worms who called themselves "The Ancestors" to imprison me once more! Oh how I longed to see them both **die**. Every time I pictured their faces it only served to increase my anger more, until… eventually…

_**KRAK!**_

The earth split, just as it had before, I could feel the dark energy flowing from it and even into my body, slowly recharging it. "Soon…" I said to myself. This world's reckoning was at hand, oh how I longed to see the looks on those "human's" faces when they are first introduced to my fury. To see them scurry about like the vermin they were as my grublins stormed their city and slaughtered their kin like cattle.

I turned to the mages, "Make your preparations, as soon as I have enough strength to raise grublins we will begin the destruction of the human city," I said before turning to one of the mages, "You, I want a magic barrier around the mountain, I don't want any of these humans trying to be a hero and break into our fortress," I said. The mage bowed before scampering off to do just that.

Just then, another mage approached me, he was accompanied by the wolf mage from before, who I had learned was named Scorn and was the leader of this little order of his. However the mage he accompanied was new, he appeared to be a red lizard creature with a white chin and black striped along his scales. He had a white mane that jutted out of the back of his head.

Scorn bowed his head, "My lord, I believe Rikor here may be of service to your cause," he said.

I raised an eyeridge, "How so?" I asked.

The lizard mage, Rikor, stepped forward, "I can create monsters for you sire," he said. "With… this," he added before fishing into his robe and producing what appeared to be a clump of clay.

I let a loud growl escape my throat, startling the lizard mage, "What kind of fool do you take me for? I have no interest in your little art projects! I'm trying to start a **war**!" I snapped at him.

Scorn quickly stepped between us, "You misunderstand my lord," he said hastily. "Rikor has a talent for animating inanimate matter, he can craft you any monster you like and bring it to life," he clarified, "In your weakened state, constructing golems might be an unnecessary drain, allowing Rikor to make your monsters for you may help speed along your recovery," he explained.

As much as I hated to admit it, Scorn was correct. I needed to conserve as much of my power as I could while I recovered. The Well of Souls significantly sped up the process, but it would still be a **long **time before I was at one hundred percent power. "Very well mage, he may begin work when I command," I said before turning to Rikor, "Leave us, I have things I wish to discuss with Scorn privately," I ordered Rikor. Without a word Rikor scampered off, leaving me alone with Scorn.

Scorn seemed a bit confused and a touch wary of being alone with me. He was of course wise to fear my power, as **all** should. But I did not request a private audience to **kill** him. "Scorn, when I send the grublin armies down to the human world, I want you to lead the charge," I said.

Scorn nodded, "I will do so with honor my lord," he said, "Where do you wish to begin this attack?" he asked me.

Where indeed… I knew very little of this world, but also knew the best way to strike fear into a whole species was to strike them at their most vulnerable spot. With most races, I learned the fastest way to demoralize them was to attack their young. "We must attack their young first, every creature loses faith fast when you strike down their young," I said. "Where would there be a place to easily get at their young?" I asked Scorn. He seemed far more learned about this strange world than I was, and thus would hopefully know the best spot to begin my war.

Scorn grew a wicked smirk, "Their children gather in facilities known as "schools" my lord, if you wish to attack them through their young, one of these Schools is the best place to do so," he said. "I happen to know where one is, it was one of the places we first searched for you actually… although the children that attend it are a bit older… teenagers," he explained.

Teenagers… I recall the last time I encountered… teenagers… again the image of those two infernal dragons entered my mind. "Then that is where we strike… with the fall of this "school", we strike our first blow of many against this worthless world," I said.

* * *

**A/N: Again, one of the things I want to do is better establish the rangers this time instead of instantly jumping into the action like I did before. I always had "plans" for the characters, but either forgot to implement them, or never got the chance to expand on them.**


	3. Schoolyard Blitz!

**Chapter 2: Schoolyard Blitz!**

* * *

_**New Harmony High School Football Field…**_

_**After School…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

"I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to **already** have kids in detention so early in the school year,"

Well I wasn't expecting to **get** detention so soon either Mister Howard, but unfortunately our vice principal is a biased jerk wad. At least I wasn't alone in my humiliation, as another kid had the misfortune of angering the school on the first day. His name was Kevin Naton, a name I recognized but hadn't heard in a **long** time. Back when I took Tae Kwon Do, I remember the instructor had a son by the same name. I remember we got along okay but for whatever reason we never really stayed in touch afterwards. Kevin was a young, slender Caucasian kid with jet black hair styled into a slight fringe. He wore a blue and black striped shirt over black jeans. He had a small necklace around his neck and a studded arm band on his left wrist.

Well, now we'd have **plenty** of time to catch up, "The football team are holding tryouts this evening, and I want you two trouble makers to help set things up," he said before handing Kevin what appeared to be one of those large Gatorade jugs you always saw on the sidelines of football games. "I want you two to set up the Gatorade, position the blocking sleds, and of course… bring the footballs to the field," he said before placing the sack of footballs in my arms. "I expect this to be done by the time tryouts begin, and if I catch either of you slacking off I'll make darn sure you regret it," he warned us before leaving.

Kevin turned to me, "So… what are **you** in for?" he asked me as we both headed to the field to drop off our loads.

"Accidentally ran into Jake Roth and Layfield decided I was the only one who deserved punishment," I said. "And you?" I asked Kevin.

"Committed the unforgivable crime of standing up for someone being bullied," he replied. Oh great, we were **both** screwed over by nonsense. Such a wonderful school we attend here.

Eventually we both managed to reach the football field, the field itself wasn't much to write home about. It was your standard low end high school field with a tar running track surrounding it's circumference. Old rickety bleachers stood on both sides of the field. I could see the school band setting up at the other end of the field.

I chose to set the bag of footballs next to the bench, Kevin setting the Gatorade right next to it. "Say, have we met before? You look kinda familiar," asked Kevin.

"I took your dad's Tae Kwon Do class remember? Dylan Foutler? I was the guy who almost took your dad's head off attempting my first jumping kick," I said.

Kevin laughed a little, "Oh man, I remember that!" he laughed, "Dad was so mad he threatened to kick you out of the school, mom had to talk him down and convince him just send you home for the night instead," he recalled.

I remembered that night, dad had lectured me the whole car ride home about how I needed to be more careful and not try to murder my instructor and how one of the core tenants of Tae Know Do was "self restraint". "Speaking of, how is Master Naton these days?" I asked.

I instantly noticed Kevin get a bit uncomfortable for some reason. "I'd uh… rather not discuss dad right now," he said. Kind of a weird reaction, it was obvious something was going on with his home life he wasn't too keen on sharing with me. I considered asking, but realized it wasn't really my place to pry. "Come on, we've got more equipment for neanderthals to ram into to collect," I said, more trying to quickly change the subject more than anything else.

Kevin nodded, appreciating the gesture.

* * *

_**Elsewhere…**_

_**Dean Mack…**_

* * *

There really was nothing more thrilling than the dawn of a new football season. The smell of fresh autumn air, the newfound hope of a possible state title in the future, and all the new faces that might join our team. It was like Christmas four months early.

I was pretty confident I'd make the team again this year. I wasn't one to brag, but I was pretty good at what I did, even **if** my QB did everything in his power to try to make me look bad. Jake Roth and I never really saw eye to eye, he always wanted to fit the stereotypical "jock" mold by tormenting those he deemed "losers", while I always had to try and stop him from hurting people. I had no doubt he'd try to keep me off the team again, but all he'd end up doing was making me look like a young Jerry Rice.

Before I hit the field, I made a stop by where the school band was having its first session. Jess **always** joined the school band, she had dreams of being a musician after all. I knew she'd make it someday, she certainly had a talent for it.

I found her sitting by the lonesome, shining her trombone. "Hey Jess," I greeted her. Jess shot me a quick glance before going back to her trombone. "So, you manage to dodge Veronica today?" I asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

Jessica nodded, "I'm getting pretty good at it," she said.

Veronica Stone had been a constant thorn in Jess' side since grade school. She was your typical "mean girl" who for some strange reason dedicated her life to making Jess' life a living hell. I always thought Veronica was jealous Jess had more creative talent than her but who knows what goes on in that messed up head of Stone's.

Speaking of, I saw in the distance the cheerleaders having their own tryouts. Among them was the raven haired demoness herself, Veronica Stone. I remember when I first joined the team she tried to turn me against Jess by telling me she'd hold back my football career. As you can guess it didn't exactly work. "Don't stare at her too long Dean, it's how she senses your weakness," I heard Jess say, a rare exhibition of her biting wit.

Of course, Veronica quickly noticed us and began to slowly approach us, not unlike a slasher villain slowly closing in on their victim. "Well well, it seems Mack still likes to degrade himself by allowing himself to be seen with trash," Veronica commented in that sickly sweet tone she always seemed to speak with when hassling Jess.

I stood right between her and Jess, "Back off Stone," I warned her.

Veronica seemed little more than amused by my attempt to defend my friend. "Oh how sweet, the little rat has a bodyguard," she sneered. "What's the matter Mack? Daddy still won't come to your games so you have to settle for the trash queen to make you feel better?" she teased.

I felt a sudden surge of anger come over me. Dad was a sore subject for me and Veronica knew it all too well. But I knew better than to let Veronica get the better of me like that, and quickly calmed myself down. "We happen to be close friends Veronica, not that a snake like you would know the meaning of the word," I said.

Veronica chuckled a little, "At least I have more than one," she commented before flicking her hair. "Seriously Dean, the sooner you wake up and drop Fox from your life, the better off you'll be," she said before waving at Jess and leaving.

I just shook my head, how any girl could be so mean as cartoonishly evil as her I'd **never** know. "Don't listen to her Jess, she's a grade a psycho," I said.

Jess however just shook her head, "You know she's kinda right, I'm probably the reason guys like Jake Roth constantly try to get you kicked off the team," she said.

I shook my head, "Jake Roth is just a jerk," I said, "He's mad because I'm not a bully like he is, it's got nothing to do with _you_," I explained before kneeling myself down in front of her so we were eye level. "You're my best friend Jess, I'm not gonna trade that for anything, especially not for the approval of judgmental freaks like Roth or Stone," I told her.

One of the few problems I had with Jess was how needlessly down on herself she could be sometimes. I don't know if she had severe depression or was just naturally self loathing. But she was so much better than she gave herself credit for. I just wish **she** could see that too. "Tryouts should be starting soon," Jess said, "You should get over there before Roth tries to convince coach to not let you tryout," she suggested.

I rose to my feet, "Trust me, after Roth cost us a chance at the playoffs last season, Roth will need far more than **words** to convince coach not to let me play," I said as I put my helmet on. "I'll catch you later," I said as I lightly jogged onto the field, hoping in the back of my mind that she'll someday come out of that shell of hers and let herself be happy for once.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Malefor…**_

* * *

I must give these mages credit, they certainly knew how to turn a mountain into a fortress in record time. The walls of the cave were littered with shelves upon shelves of potions and spell books, a little workshop for Rikor and his monster clay was erected, they even managed to craft me a vision pool so I could observe the school we planned on attacking.

Speaking of, I couldn't help but be sickened by how petty and pathetic these humans were. All these young humans seemed to care about were petty social politics and mating rituals. Obvious signs of a spoiled species deprived of any **true** suffering or fear. But worry not little humans, you **will** know true suffering and fear **very** soon. I could feel some of my power returned to me, enough to raise my first batch of grublins.

"SCORN!" I called, within mere seconds Scorn joined my side. Bending to one knee the second he came within my sight.

"What is it you require my lord?"

"It is time," I said before closing my eyes and focusing my magic upon the ground below me. After a few moments I began to hear the familiar sound of my grublins raising from the ground. Snarling and grunting as they surrounded Scorn who seemed quite surprised to see them. "Go to the human school, destroy everything and every**one** in sight," I ordered, "I want these humans to know true fear, do **not** disappoint me," I said.

I noticed Scorn grin a little, a sinister toothy grin that showed his sharp fangs and dark intent. "It shall be done master," he said before removing his cloak, revealing he was wearing black plate armor and had a long sword holstered to his belt. "When I am done with that human school, all in that city will know and fear your name," he said before taking out what he had told me was a teleportation gem, something he and his followers had used to travel to this world in the first place. In an instant he and the grublins were gone, ready to carry out my orders.

I couldn't help but smile to myself, it **was** always so grand to witness the first attack in a war, the mix of surprise and terror always brought with it a sick little thrill. It had been too long since I first began my war on the Dragon Realms, introducing my destruction to the unsuspecting masses… it would be just like old times…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Back at the School…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

It was long, back breaking work hauling all of that equipment onto the field. But through sheer determination and lack of a desire to make things any worse for ourselves than they already were, we managed to pull it off.

Kevin and I collapsed to the ground in front of the last blocking sled we had dragged out onto the field. "If I ever have to do **that** much back breaking work again, it will be too soon," said Kevin between breaths.

I nodded weakly, "Yeah, no kidding," I replied. "But at least it's over now," I added.

"Looks like you two could use a pick-me-up,"

Kevin and I both looked up to see the football coach holding out two Gatorade cups to us. The idea of refreshment after all this work sounded **amazing** right now so I graciously took the cup and drank it down. "I heard one of you had a run in with Roth this morning," the coach said.

I sighed and raised my hand, "But just for the record, I didn't **start** that fight, no matter what Layfield tries to tell you," I made sure to point out.

The coach however just laughed a little, "For what it's worth, I believe you," he said. "Roth's always been a pain in the rear, always causing problems in the locker room or on the field, I'd cut him but his dad donates to the booster club and Layfield would have my job if we lost those donations," he explained.

Of course Roth's dad was paying off the team, no wonder he always seems to get preferential treatment from Layfield. "So I'm not the only one he makes miserable, good to know," I commented.

"Far from it," the coach said, "You should ask one of my receivers Dean Mack about how "great" a teammate he is, Roth's been trying to sabotage Mack for years by intentionally overthrowing him, kid makes the catches anyway but still, I'm hoping one day I find a better arm in these tryouts so I can finally save one of our seasons and bench Roth," he explained.

Yeah that sounds like Roth, cruel _even_ to his fellow jocks. The coach then pointed to Kevin, "And what are **you** in for?" he asked Kevin.

"Standing up for someone being bullied," Kevin answered, "I never even laid a finger on the guy, but he tripped himself up and fell into a desk, so the teacher was convinced I shoved him through it," he explained.

"School policy is school policy Naton," replied the coach, "But I can commend you for at least standing up for your fellow man," he added. "Look boys, I can't erase these detentions from your records, but I can at least thank you two for all your hard work today, why don't you two head on home now, I'll take the heat from Howard for ya," he told us.

I never thought the football coach of all people would be so cool, but it was nice to know **someone** of authority here was on our side for once. Kevin and I both got up to go and leave, but before we could…

_**BOOM!**_

There was a loud, thunderous crack that sounded a lot like a lightning bolt struck the ground. But since it was bright and sunny out, that was kind of ruled out. "What the heck was that?" the coach said.

Suddenly one of the football players came scrambling towards us. Dude looked totally **freaked**, like he had just seen the devil himself or something. The coach quickly rushed over to the frightened athlete. "Jenkins! Are you alright? What's wrong?" he asked.

"I… In the woods! I… I saw them!" Jenkins stammered, "I… I don't know **what** they were man, some kind of… weird… dirt monsters or somethin'," he said.

Another player suddenly ran onto the scene, number eighty six judging by his practice jersey. "Coach? What's going on? What's wrong with Timmy?" he asked.

The coach shook his head, "He thinks he saw some kind of monster in the woods, he probably just saw a hobo or somethin'," the coach explained.

"Dude! You aren't LISTENING!" Jenkins practically screamed as he grabbed the coach's jacket. "There are **monsters** out there man! W… we gotta call the army or something man!" he said.

Suddenly we heard a volley of screams sound from the other side of the field. We looked to see something was swarming the school band. I could tell even from where I was that, whatever they were, they **weren't** human. However, I noticed number eighty six over there wasn't too pleased about this, "Oh man! JESS!" he cried out before legging it at full speed towards the school band.

Coach turned to us, "You two take Jenkins and get to safety! NOW!" he barked at us as a cluster of monsters began to race towards us.

Kevin and I both propped the traumatized football player up and began to lead him towards the school parking lot.

* * *

_**Elsewhere…**_

_**Dean Mack…**_

* * *

I moved as quickly as I could, I could already see the monsters grabbing at Jess, who was trying to ward them off with her trombone. I quickly shoulder tackled one to the ground, "Back off dirt clod!" I yelled before another tried to attack. Fighting back in clunky shoulder pads wasn't exactly ideal, but I wasn't about to let these enchanted forest rejects hurt my friend either. I punched one right in the… I think it's a face but with these things it's kinda hard to tell… it fell to the ground in a heap before another tried to get at me.

I shuffled backwards, trying to at least get them to move away from Jess so she could get free and run. "Come on ugly! Show me what you've got!" I coaxed them. One of the monsters made a dive right for me, I quickly juked him, causing him to lose his footing and fall flat on his face. Another tried to take a swing at me but I quickly dodged it and decked him right in the dome.

However, soon they began to swarm me, two grabbed my arms and began to try to force me to the ground. "Get off me!" I protested, trying to throw them off but they just kept piling on me. Oh man, I'm gonna die aren't I?

* * *

_**Jessica Fox…**_

* * *

I could see Dean struggling with the monsters from where I was. I was **never** much of a fighter myself, but I couldn't let these… things hurt the only friend I had! I swung my trombone with all of the strength I could muster. The instrument made a loud clanging sound as it collided with the monster's head. The monster fell limply to the ground, giving me an opening to at least **try** to rescue my friend.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. Trombone in hand, I quickly swung with all the force my arms could muster, smacking one of the monsters a good ten feet through the air. This allowed Dean to throw others off and free himself from the pile. Dean took a minute to collect himself before turning to me, "Nice save Jess, thanks" he thanked me.

However, that little moment was short lived as the other monsters went right back on the attack. "How about we wait until **after** we survive this to start thanking each other?" I suggested.

How can this day possibly get any worse?

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Parking Lot…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

We had finally managed to get Jenkins to the parking lot, setting him down against one of the cars. I couldn't help but look back to the football field, thinking of all the football players and band geeks that were no doubt being swarmed. "So, how are we getting out of here? Are we taking my car or yours?" asked Kevin.

I turned to Kevin, "We can't just run away Kevin! People could be **dying** back there! We have to help!" I said.

Kevin looked at me like I had just suggested jumping into a lava pit. "Dude, those things want to **kill** us! I say we get out of here before those things find us and turn us into hamburger!" he argued. "We aren't superheroes Dylan! We're just two dumb teenagers with basic Tae Kwon Do training, we'll get **slaughtered**!" he added.

Kevin was probably right, it **would** be a smarter idea to just cut and run. But just because it was **smarter**, didn't mean it was **right**. I couldn't just abandon that coach, those players, or the school band to their fate. "You can run if you want Kevin, I'm going to put a stop to this," I said before running off to do just that.

"DYLAN! WAIT!" I heard Kevin call back to me.

But I didn't stop, someone had to help fight back, might as well be me. However I would never reach the field as I was immediately swarmed by another group of monsters. I immediately took a fighting stance, "Bring it on you overgrown dirt balls!" I said before spin kicking one right in the head, sending it flying off its feet and flipping right onto it's back. Another one tried to attack, but a quick back kick to it's mid section ended **that** before it could even really begin.

More and more just kept coming, one after the other, it was like a bad kung fu movie! However, suddenly one of the monsters was kicked from behind. As it fell to the ground, I could see Kevin standing over it. "You're out of your mind, you **do** realize that right?" he asked me before kicking another monster away.

I delivered a hard kick to a monster's head, knocking it to the ground. "You decided to join me?" I asked Kevin before sweeping another monster's feet right out from under it.

"Someone had to make sure you don't get yourself killed!" Kevin replied as he caught one of the monster's fists and flipped it on it's back. "Just what are these things anyway?" Kevin asked me.

Two monsters grabbed me from behind by the arms, another tried to attack but I quickly swung my legs forward, kicking the monsters away before flipping the two holding me over my shoulders. "No idea dude, maybe nature finally got sick of humanity's crap and this is it fighting back?" I theorized.

Kevin rolled himself onto the hood of a car, kicking away any monsters who attempted to join him on top. "Well whatever they are, they sure are persistent!" he commented as he leaped off the car, coming down with a rather graceful drop kick to two monster's chests.

Suddenly I noticed Kevin was glowing… blue. Before I could warn Kevin I noticed I was glowing red… before long everything suddenly went white.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Football Field…**_

_**Jessica Fox…**_

* * *

These things just kept coming! It seemed for every one we knocked down, ten took its place! An unending sea of dirt and root monsters. Dean and I were barely making a dent in their numbers.

"Omigosh! Let go of me!"

That sounded like Veronica. I turned to see the infamous cheerleader's arms being tugged on by two dirt monsters. "Do you stupid dirt things know who I am?! Let go!" she protested.

I can't believe I'm about to do this, but not even Veronica Stone deserves to be killed by these things. I quickly rushed over and drilled the monster holding her left arm in the head with my trombone. Veronica took initiative and kicked one of the monsters away before turning to me, "Never tell **anyone** about this!" she snarled at me before storming off.

You're welcome! I guess it **was** foolish to expect gratitude from Veronica Stone of all people. However, as Veronica ran off, I began to notice a strange yellow glow envelop me. I turned to Dean to see he was glowing green, but he didn't seem to notice, as he was too busy fighting off monsters.

Before I could utter a word everything suddenly went white…

* * *

_**Dragon Temple…**_

_**Unknown Realm…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

When the white light finally subsided, I saw that I was no longer in the school parking lot fighting for my life. But instead what appeared to be some kind of… temple. The room was made of pure stone and dimly lit by torches. Banners depicting weird symbols surrounded the circular room where at the center were pedestals holding strange looking devices and small colored crystals next to them, they all circled what seemed to be some kind of fountain full of very murky looking water. "What is this place?" I said to myself.

"Your guess is as good as mine dude,"

I turned around to see Kevin had joined me in this strange room. "I'll tell you one thing for sure, it's certainly creepy," he added as he joined my side. He then noticed the previously mentioned pool of water. "Man, someone needs to clean the fountain," he commented before slowly reaching his hand to touch it.

"What are you doing?!"

Suddenly the football player from before ran up to Kevin and caught his hand before he could touch the water. "That could melt your hand off for all you know," he said.

He was soon joined by a rather awkward looking girl in a large hoodie and a ponytail. "Did… did we die? I… Is this the afterlife?" she asked as she nervously looked around.

"No… you're not dead,"

All of us froze in place as the voice of an older gentleman sounded from the distance. Suddenly, from a darkened doorway stepped out the last thing I expected to see today. A giant, quadruped lizard approached us. His scales were a royal purple color that seemed to slightly shimmer in the torchlight. Oh his head were orange and yellow fin like appendages that also jutted from his cheekbones and even from his chin, almost resembling facial hair. His horns were large, yellow, and shaped in a lightning bolt pattern. Two smaller horns placed just under the bigger ones. His underbelly was a brilliant golden color, and looked slightly soft. His wings were large and slightly tattered, with yellow bone and orange membrane. His tail ended in a spade shaped yellow tail blade that swished behind him as he walked.

There was no mistaking what this creature was, he was a dragon. Pulled right from a Dungeons and Dragons monster manual. Although he didn't seem to be all that monstrous. Something about his body language, the way he **looked** at us, told me this creature didn't bring us here to be his latest meal. His eyes were purple, but had a softness behind them, like those of a kindly old man.

The dragon sat himself in front of the pool of water, Kevin and the football player both instantly jumping back, understandably wary of the giant purple dragon. "I assure you all, you are in no danger here," said the dragon. "Unfortunately I can't say the same for your world," he added.

All of us looked at one another in confusion, before I turned back to the dragon. "W… what's going on here? Where are we?" I asked. I understandably had a **lot** of questions right now. I mean… how the hell is a **dragon** standing right in front of us?! Last I checked, dragons weren't supposed to be… ya know… real?

The dragon sighed, "Yes, I suppose you would have a lot of questions for me," he said before looking me right in the eyes. "This is the Dragon Temple, or at least a replica I had constructed a **long** time ago," he explained. "As for what's going on, that… is a far more complicated question to answer," he said.

"Uh… excuse me..." Kevin suddenly stated, "Not to interrupt your whole "mysterious dragon" shtick, but… who **are** you, how did we get here, and **why **are we having a conversation with a **talking dragon**?!" he asked.

The dragon, to his credit, didn't seem at all upset over Kevin's admittedly kinda rude outburst. Instead simply turning his gaze to Kevin. "You're not one to wait around are you Kevin Naton?" he commented. Okay… now I'm kinda freaked out, how the hell did he know our names?! "As for who I am, I guess that's a good place to start as any," he said.

"I, as you may have gathered, am a dragon," he began, "My name is Spyro, I was born a very rare breed of dragon, a **purple** dragon," he continued to explain. "You see, dragons are usually only able to use one element, while us purple dragons can use **all** of them, even ones not known to any other dragon," he said. "However, I wasn't the first," he then added before sticking a claw into the pool of water and stirring it.

Suddenly an image began to form in the water, it was of another dragon. However this one was **far** more menacing looking. His face a mess of horns, his purple scales dark and dull. But I think the most terrifying feature this creature had were his two piercing yellow eyes with slit pupils. "This… is Malefor… the purple dragon before me," he explained. "Unlike me, he found himself consumed by the darker parts of his own power, twisted and evil, he seeks to destroy everything and everyone he comes across… believing the destiny of the purple dragon is to bring a new age in flames, exterminate all life so nature can begin anew," he told us.

"I bet he was a _riot_ at parties," commented Kevin before the football player elbowed him in the ribs.

The dragon didn't seem too amused by Kevin's joke, just giving him this dry, annoyed look. I meanwhile couldn't help but find myself unnerved by the dragon in the water, Malefor, something about him just… unsettled me for some reason. The dragon quickly noticed this, "You're troubled by his image Dylan?" he asked. "It's understandable, Malefor was a very powerful and evil dragon… he nearly destroyed my world," he told me.

It seemed the inevitable question needed to be asked. "What's this got to do with us?" I asked.

Spyro sighed, "Fifty years ago, Malefor reemerged and nearly destroyed my world, but with the help of… another… I was able to stop him and repair the damage he caused," he explained. "However… I knew deep down he would return, he always does," he said before standing up. "As you may have noticed, the years haven't been kind to me, my power is still great, but I doubt I can defeat Malefor again… especially now that he has chosen to attack **your** world instead of mine," he said.

My blood suddenly turned to ice, **that** thing was attacking our world?! "Is… is that where those dirt monsters came from?" I asked.

"Yes, they're called grublins in case you're curious, Malefor creates them by using magic to literally raise them from the ground itself," he explained. "I brought you four here because you all chose to fight back, to put the safety of others before yourselves and resist Malefor's armies," he added.

I don't think I like where this is going. "During my later years before choosing to preserve myself, I had four mystical devices crafted to aid a group of heroes to fight against Malefor and his armies in my stead," he explained as he approached the devices. "The Dragon Spirit Morphers," he said. "Each of these is paired with a mystical spirit gem enchanted with the power and magic of those who taught me in each of the four dragon elements," he explained.

I **really** don't like where this is going. "With these, the user can insert the crystal into the morpher to become… Power Rangers," he explained.

Whoa whoa whoa… did he just say… "Power Rangers"?! As in, the guys with the flashy suits and giant robots we hear about all the time on the news? "I have chosen you four to each take one of these morphers and become this world's last line of defense, with these morphers, each of you will command not only one of the four dragon elements, but also command your own powerful dragon Mega Zord," he continued to explain.

You know, when I woke up today, I didn't think part of my first day of school would include becoming a freaking **Power Ranger**! Spyro then lifted the glass from the yellow device, taking it in hand before walking over to the girl in the hoodie. "Jessica Fox, your lightening sharp wit and precision focus have earned you the power of the Yellow Electric Power Ranger," he said before handing the device and crystal to her.

He then took out the green one and went over to the football player, "Dean Mack, your rock solid body and ceaseless drive to connect with others has earned you the power of the Green Earth Power Ranger," he said before handing him the morpher and crystal.

The blue one was next, and he seemed to intend to give it to Kevin. "Kevin Naton, your cool demeanor and icy sharp tongue have earned you the power of the Blue Ice Power Ranger," he said before handing the device to Kevin.

The red one was last, and I think I knew who it was for. Spyro approached me with the morpher and crystal. "And finally, Dylan Foutler, your fiery temper and burning passion have earned you the power of the Red Fire Power Ranger," he said before handing the morpher and crystal to me, "As leader of the team, you are expected to guide the other rangers in this battle to save your world," he told me. So… no pressure.

"Um… e… excuse me," Suddenly chimed in Jessica. "Mister dragon… sir… while I'm sure this is very important and… I'm flattered you chose me… I… I don't think I'm cut out to be a superhero," she said.

"Yeah..." Kevin agreed, "I don't know if you've noticed, but… we're just a bunch of dumb kids… not "Power Rangers"," he said.

Spyro tried to hide it, but you could see it in his eyes how disappointed he was to hear this. "I can't force you to take on this responsibility," he admitted, "However, I ask you at least think it over, and if you still do not wish to become Power Rangers, I will send you home with no protest," he said before turning to leave the room.

Everyone just stood and watched as the purple dragon slowly trudged out of the room. "So..." Kevin began, "Everyone's on the same page right? That Spyro over there is nuttier than a PayDay bar and we should all go home right?" he asked everyone.

"You may think that," Dean said, "But I don't," he stated. "Come on guys, he chose **us** to save the world! You saw what those grublin things were doing to our school, if we don't stop them, who will? I say we do it!" he said.

Kevin however, "You're out of your mind," he said, "This is a job for the military, or at the very least the police, we're just kids!" he argued.

"Dean, Kevin's right, we're not cut out for this," said Jessica.

Dean however was not going to be denied, "You guys can bail if you want, but I'm not going to sit by and let this Malefor guy destroy our world if I can help it!" he said. "He wouldn't have chosen us if he didn't think we could do it, and how bad would we look if we just turned our backs on our world's only chance to save itself?" he added.

As much as I hated to admit it, Dean kinda had a point. It certainly wouldn't look good on us if the world ended up destroyed and we had turned down the one chance it had to be saved. Not to mention… I had my own family to think about, how could I live with myself if mom got killed by Malefor or his grublins if I turned down my one chance to protect her?

Kevin turned to me, "Come on Dylan, back me up here!" he said. "Dean's out of his mind right?" he asked.

I looked back to the morpher, it's golden trim slightly shimmering in the torchlight. I couldn't help but think back to that horrible feeling I got when staring at that vision of Malefor… that face, those eyes… so full of evil and hatred… how can I abandon the world to something like **that**? I quickly fastened the strap of the morpher to my wrist.

Kevin **clearly** objected to this, "You can't be serious! Dylan we don't stand a **chance** against this Malefor guy!" he protested. This was kinda rich coming from the guy who got detention for standing up to someone bullying someone **else**.

I turned to him and flashed my morpher at him, "That's why he gave us these right?" I asked him. "Come on Kevin, Dean's right, we'd never be able to live with ourselves if Malefor destroys our town and we could have done something to stop it, I don't know about you, but I'm not going to sit here and watch it happen," I said.

We both heard the sound of a strap being clicked into place, we turned to see Jessica had put her morpher on. "Dylan's right… as much as I don't want to admit it, how can we live with ourselves if we do nothing as the world burns?" she said.

Dean strapped his morpher to his wrist, "It's three to one Kev, you might as well just cut your losses and join us," he said with a sly smirk.

Kevin thought it over for a few seconds, looking **quite** frustrated the whole time he pondered this. "FINE!" he said before he strapped the morpher to his wrist, "But if I die, I'm blaming **you** Dean," he added.

"That's "Green Earth Ranger" to you dude," Dean said jokingly, flashing his morpher at Kevin as he said it, earning a laugh from everyone in the room except for poor Kevin.

"You've all made the right choice,"

We all turned to see Spyro standing right behind us. How long was he standing there? "I know answering the call to action is difficult, and I wouldn't have held it against any of you for backing down, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad your noble hearts won out and you chose to stand up for your world," he said with a smile.

That smile however, quickly gave way to a far more serious expression. "However, these powers do not come without rules," he said. Oh joy… rules… how fun. "First, you must never use your powers for personal gain," he stated, "Two, never escalate a fight unless Malefor or his allies force you to," he said, "And finally, you must never reveal your identity as Power Rangers to anyone, not even your friends or family," he said. "If any of these rules are broken, you will lose the protection of the power, is that understood?" he asked us.

The rules seemed kinda basic, boiling down to "be a good superhero you dolt". And not telling my mom about me becoming a superhero was **probably** for the best all things considered. We all nodded in agreement to his terms, "Very good, when you need to morph, simply place the spirit gem in the slot on the side of your morpher and call "Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form!" along with your specific element." he instructed. "Now… I will return you to your school, we've already wasted too much time, you need to save as many people as you can and remove the grublins from the campus," he said before the red glow from before suddenly returned. "May the ancestors look after you..." Spyro said before everything faded to white…

"May they look after us all..."

* * *

**A/N: Oh I wonder where Spyro learned that saying? The mind boggles…**

**Yeah I changed up the morphers a bit in case you couldn't tell. They're supposed to work kinda like the Turbo Morphers from… erm… "Power Rangers Turbo", where you have to insert an object into the morpher to get it to activate. I figured since Legend of Spyro utilizes gems and crystals so much that using a crystal like that was fitting. Hopefully the rangers can remember to keep track of them.**


	4. Dragon's Roar, United we Soar!

**Chapter 3: Dragon's Roar, United we Soar!**

* * *

_**New Harmony High School…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

When the light subsided, we were all standing in the football field. All around us the grublins were causing chaos! Some were menacing people, others were just straight up breaking things like rowdy soccer hooligans. "Alright guys, time to put a stop to this," I said as I took the gem from my pocket.

"_**It's morphin' time!"**_

"_**DRAGON'S ROAR! RANGER FORM!**_" I called as I placed the gem in my morpher, "_**FIRE!**_" At first I thought I did it wrong, as nothing seemed to happen. However… suddenly I felt a rush of energy surge throughout my entire body. It was like someone was pumping me full of pure adrenaline! I could hear the sounds of a dragon's roar as something began to wrap itself around my body. It was only when I felt a slight weight on my head did I open my eyes to see I was now wearing a helmet.

I couldn't help but look myself over, my body was now covered in a bright red spandex like material, my left arm and shoulder were black, ending in a flame like pattern with some kind of red and gold crest emblazoned on my left pectoral. I wore white gloves and boots with golden trim that had odd markings on them that kinda looked like a jagged "s".

The others all fawned over me like a new puppy, "Oh man!" exclaimed Dean, "That's AWESOME! Lemme try..." he said before taking out his gem. "_**Dragon's Roar! Ranger form! EARTH!"**_ he called before a green light consumed him, a slightly different roar sounded before the light subsided and Dean was now in his own ranger suit.

His was green obviously, and mostly the same as mine, but his black section ended in a more rocky gold trim pattern and his symbol was different. Now that someone else had morphed, I got to see what the helmet looked like. It was obviously depicting a dragon, with it's open mouth serving as the visor. The mouthpiece was a flat and silver square. Dean's helmet had bronze spikes running down it and small ram like horns that curled inwards. His visor also had two golden "fangs" jutting out from the bottom "jaw" of the visor.

Dean looked like a kid in a candy store, excitedly looking himself over. "Dude! No one pinch me! This is so cool!" he said.

Jess and Kevin both looked at each other, taking their gems out without a word.

"_**Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form!"**_

"_**ICE!"**_

"_**ELECTRICITY!" **_

Jess and Kevin's ranger forms were much of the same with an electric and ice theme respectively. Jess' helmet depicted a dragon with blue head spikes and horns, while Kevin's had icy features with white spikes.

The two rangers looked themselves over, Kevin flexing his arm. "Holy crap dude! I feel like I could bench press a semi truck!" he said.

"Yeah… I feel **amazing**!" Jess commented.

I turned back to the grublins who had only **just now** noticed our presence, "Okay guys, marvel over our new suits later, beat up evil dirt monsters now!" I said before charging at the horde, the other rangers following suit.

The second I reached my first grublin I noticed the world of difference the suit made. I was fighting like a well oiled machine, doing moves I never knew I was **capable** of before! Like for instance, a grublin attempted to tackle me, but I simply back flipped and kicked it right in the mid section, sending it a good ten feet into the air before split kicking to of it's friends before punching it the second it came down.

Another grublin came after me, I quickly threw the hardest kick I could muster, just to see how strong I **really** was, it went **flying** a good thirty, sailing right through the goal post's uprights. "Aaand… it's GOOD!" I said before managing to catch a punch from another grublin. I quickly spun around it and swept it's legs right from under it.

Man… if I had known being a Power Ranger was **this** amazing, I would have signed up a **long** time ago!

* * *

_**Jessica Fox…**_

* * *

I didn't know what was more amazing, the amount of pure energy I was feeling in my body right now, or the fact I'm actually **fighting off** the grublins with the grace and skill of a black belt martial artist! One by one the grublins fell before me, it was the greatest feeling in the world. I was finally in control for once, imposing my will on my enemies instead of the other way around. In a strange way, it was liberating. I began to wonder what else I could do besides graceful martial arts?

I then suddenly felt a presence in the back of my head, like someone trying to send a message to my brain. It was telling me that I could use electric attacks. "Okay… _**Elemental Power! Electric BURST!**_" I called before doing a fireball motion with my arms and unleashing a giant ball of electricity from my hands! The grublins were all hit dead center, being launched in every direction from the electrical explosion. I looked back to my gloved hands, in complete disbelief over what I had **just** done.

And I wasn't the only one, "Holy crap Jess!" exclaimed Kevin before looking to his own hands, "I wonder what I can do?" he asked himself before going into some kind of kata. "_**Elemental Power! Freezing WIND!**_" he said before a funnel of impossibly cold air shot from his extended hand, flash freezing every grublin unfortunate enough to be in his path. "Ha! Put **them** on ice," he said.

Ugh… did he really need to go with that pun?

* * *

_**Dean Mack…**_

* * *

Man was this the **best**! I felt like a machine! I noticed I was considerably stronger than I was before, easily tossing the poor grublins around like they were stuffed toys! I then felt something in the back of my head tell me to use my weapon. I had a weapon? "_**Ax of Earth!**_" I called before an ax suddenly materialized in my hands. It's grip looked like something out of a sci-fi movie and was green in color. The head of the ax looked like it was carved from a rock. The handle looked like it could fold for some reason. "Alright, now **that's **what I'm talkin' about!" I said before swinging my ax at the grublins, easily cleaving through them in a mess of dirt and sparks.

I turned around to see another cluster of grublins coming after me, "You guys want some too? I'm more than happy to oblige!" I said before running my ax against the ground. "_**Elemental Power! Rock Wave!**_" I called before a large mound of earth came rushing towards the crowd of grublins, smacking into them and knocking them over like bowling pins.

I couldn't resist smiling from ear to ear, I was like a kid who just got a brand new toy. My first love may be football, but man… is being a ranger sweet!

* * *

_**Kevin Naton…**_

* * *

I couldn't help but notice that Dean had a new ax he was currently using to chop up grublins like a bunch of very ugly carrots. I wonder if I have a weapon? Suddenly I felt some kind of presence in the back of my head tell me I had some kind of… spear? "_**Lance of Ice!**_" I called before a giant three pronged, double headed techno lance suddenly appeared in my hands. It's shaft was long and blue, it's head had three blades that looked to be made of ice all held by some golden base with the same symbol I had on my chest engraved into it.

I began to twirl the weapon around in my arms, I was kinda surprised how effortless it was for me, as if I'd been using a pole arm my whole life. "Step right up! Step right up! Come and see the Blue Ranger and his amazing Lance of Ice!" I said as I began to slice into several grublins. "It slices! It dices! It makes all you ugly grublins into dust before your very eyes!" I said. I couldn't help myself, I was usually pretty jokey when I was fearing for my life. I mean, these grublins might as well be attacking me with paper airplanes and pillows, but still… they **were** trying to kill me after all.

But man, if this is the best Malefor can do then this is going to be a very **short** war.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Malefor…**_

* * *

I found myself staring into the vision pool in complete disbelief… I couldn't even fathom what I was looking at right now… four brightly colored humans were laying waste to my grublin armies, making them look like **fools!** Granted, I never intended for grublins to be all that powerful, just powerful **enough** to accomplish what I created them for, but still…

This was unacceptable! I was led to believe the creatures of this world were pathetic, weak, worthless… how are they **winning**?! It practically brought my blood to a boil watching these humans effortlessly cut down my grublins. "Who are you four?" I snarled through gritted teeth.

But as I looked closer at these brightly colored fools, I couldn't help but notice the symbols emblazoned upon their suits. I knew those symbols… the dragons used them to represent each element. Dragons… dragons were behind this… that was the only explanation. But how did they know of my attack on the human world?

I began to puzzle over this for a good long while, running every single possible explanation through my head. These four were clearly humans, that much was obvious. The way they spoke, cheering like hatchlings with every major attack, told me they haven't had these powers long. But that only left the question of **where** they acquired dragon powers? **Someone** had to have given them to them. Someone who knew I was here… who had somehow anticipated my return long enough to craft them these powers and weapons…

The answer hit me in an instant. "Spyro," I hissed. It was the only possible explanation, only that infernal purple whelp would be so paranoid as to craft a safeguard in case I returned. But if this were the case… why not just confront me directly? He must not be as strong as he once was, instead choosing to use his power to craft,= these… things.

I slowly rose to my feet, "So this is your game is it Spyro? Sending children in tights to fight your battles for you? It would be humorous if it weren't so pathetic," I said. If only you hadn't been too cowardly to delve into your true potential Spyro, then age wouldn't have claimed you like some common dragon. You could have been eternal like myself, but instead chose to be the "hero". No matter, all you have done is doom these four humans to the same fate that awaits you and Cynder.

I needed to inform Scorn of this at once. I didn't want these four little heroes becoming a nuisance. I had learned from my defeat by Spyro and Cynder to never leave anything to chance. I grabbed a dark crystal and began to work my magic on it. Communicating through gems was a trick I learned eons ago, it was how I usually instructed my soldiers. "Scorn, things have changed," I said.

I had made sure Scorn left with a crystal, this world apparently had very few clusters laying around and I knew I'd need to be able to contact him eventually. "How so master?" Scorn's voice responded.

"It seems our attack on the human world wasn't as unexpected as we anticipated, four humans in brightly colored outfits are currently slaughtering the grublins we sent to the school, I need you to **deal** with them before they become a problem," I ordered him.

"It shall be done Lord Malefor,"

He'd best… the last thing I want is to have another gaggle of hatchlings thinking they can keep me from fulfilling my destiny…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Back at the Football Field…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

The horde of grublins was beginning to dwindle to nearly nothing. I can't believe Spyro was worried about these dweebs. They were about as effective as throwing wadded balls of paper at us.

Once the last few grublins were dealt with, we all approached one another. "So… you guys keep track of how many of those tools you iced? My kill count is up to like… eighty seven," said Kevin.

Jess just shook her head, "I didn't really bother keeping track," she admitted, "But… it's over now right? We saved the school?" she asked.

Dean looked around, "Looks like it to me, man that was awesome!" he said.

"Maybe we should do a sweep of the school, make sure none actually got into the building," I suggested.

"Oh I wouldn't bother with **that** human,"

All four of us turned around to see what could only be described as a bipedal wolf man in jet black plate armor. His fur was as black as night His eyes a piercing yellow, one having a nasty looking scar across it. "Because you four have **bigger** problems to deal with," he growled.

The wolf then drew his sword, a **very** impressive looking short sword with an ornate looking cross guard. "I must admit, a part of me is kind of glad you four are here, I was beginning to worry destroying this pathetic world would be too easy, I'm glad to see your world actually has some bite to it," he said as he took a stance. He held his sword one handed, extending his free hand outward like he was telling us to "stop in the name of love" or something. "But before you all die to my blade, at least allow me to know who it is I get to destroy today," he said.

I guess he wants introductions? At least… that's what I'm **guessing** he meant by that. But what was I gonna tell him? My actual name? Secret identities exist for a reason. Well… dress like a superhero… introduce yourself like one. I began to do what felt natural, a bunch of stylish poses, "Power of the raging flame, Dragon's Roar! RED RANGER!" I called before striking a pose.

The others followed suit, "Power of freezing ice," Kevin began, striking his own poses, "Dragon's Roar! BLUE RANGER!" He called before striking his final pose.

"Power of unbreakable earth! Dragon's Roar! GREEN RANGER!" he said before he did much of the same.

Last was Jess, who seemed to take to the poses pretty well for someone so timid, "Power of surging electricity! Dragon's Roar! YELLOW RANGER!" she cried before taking a pose.

I stood up and took another pose, "We're the Power Rangers!" I said before… suddenly… almost as if on impulse. "_**Dragon's Roar!**_" I called out before we all suddenly struck a pose.

"_**UNITED WE SOAR!**_" we all shouted in unison. The wolf however, didn't seem amused. As he threw some kind of fireball at us which totally whiffed and exploded behind us. All he did was probably make our little hero pose look **amazing**.

"Enough of this childishness!" the wolf snarled. "Listen here and listen well "Power Rangers", I am **Scorn Dreadfang! **Head of the Order of Malefor and the most skilled sword mage in all of the Dragon Realms!" he proclaimed. Who names their kid "Scorn"? You're kinda insuring he grows up to become an evil super villain at that point aren't you? "If you four think I will be defeated by mere children in colored tights you are sorely mistaken!" he growled before he suddenly dashed towards us.

I noticed his sword was glowing green for some reason. Well, he did just say he was a sword mage, so I guess he was using magic to enhance it? Whatever the case, I didn't have long to ponder it before we were all suddenly slashed across the chest. Sparks flew everywhere like a Fourth of July display as we all fell to the ground.

"Pathetic!" Scorn barked at us. "You think yourselves warriors but are merely children in garish costumes playing make believe," he spat at us.

Kevin was the first to get to his feet. "You haven't won yet you flea bitten mutt!" he said, "_**Lance of Ice!**_" he called before a lance suddenly materialized in his hands. Wait… we have weapons?! I looked to my own hand, I've gotta have **something** right? Like a flamethrower, a club, or something!

I looked back to Kevin who was **not** doing too well. Scorn was easily deflecting his lance with an almost **insulting** amount of ease. "You wield that lance like an amateur!" Scorn scoffed before side stepping Kevin and slashing him across the back. Sparks flew out of the wound as Kevin collapsed to his knees before hitting the grass with a thud.

Dean was next, "_**Ax of Earth!**_" he called before an ax suddenly appeared in his hand. Dean began to swing wildly at the canine swordsman, who effortlessly dodged each swing. "You have technique, but no strategy," Scorn commented before slashing Dean right across the belly. "Where you fools even **trained**?" he asked as Dean fell over in a wave of bright sparks and dust.

That just left me and Jess, and from the way she was slowly backing away, it seemed she never got around to summoning her weapon either. I looked to my hand again, knowing I had no weapon to call upon, I instead took a fighting stance.

Scorn laughed at me, a loud, almost haunting cackle that echoed through the autumn air. "You're not even going to summon a ridiculous weapon like your friends? You're actually going to try to fight me unarmed?" he asked me, "You really **are** a fool," he added with a snarl before he suddenly began to chant something I couldn't quite make out before what I **think** was a fireball exploded in my face, knocking me a good ten feet back.

Yup… **that** hurt. You'd **think** the helmet would protect my head from blows like that, but given the splitting headache I now had, I guess not. I groaned as I tried to force myself back to my feet. "Don't bother getting up Red Ranger," Scorn said as he slowly walked over to me, sword pointed in my direction. "You'll just fall back down again after I take your _head_," he added.

I **needed** to figure out how Dean and Kevin summoned their weapons! It was the only real chance I **had** here! But how? I didn't even know what kind of weapon I **had**! I might have a magic dragon vuvuzela for all I knew!

I suddenly began to hear a faint voice in the back of my head, it was difficult to make out at first, but after a while I was able to make it out.

"_Summon the Sword of Flame, simply call it's name and it shall come,"_

Was this normal? Or have I finally snapped? Neither would really shock me at this point. Well… might as well try it. "_**Sword of Flame!**_" I called out. In a burst of fire a sword appeared in my hands. The hilt was a bright ruby red with that symbol from my chest engraved into it. The blade was stylized to look like a flame almost the blade was shimmering silver with red markings running along its length.

I quickly used it to smack Scorn's sword away before springing back to my feet. "Yo dog boy!" I called to him, "Catch this, _**Elemental Power! Blazing SLASH!**_" I called out as I slashed my sword vertically, sending a wave of fire right at Scorn. He **clearly** wasn't ready for it as all he could think to do to block it was throw his arms up. He yelped as the flames engulfed him.

Scorn flew back a good ten feet before rolling himself around, finally putting himself out. For a guy who was just lit on fire, he looked no worse for wear. Although with both his fur **and** armor being black, could you really even tell? "That… was **unpleasant**!" roared Scorn before he flung himself right back at me. I tried to block his slashes but his attacks were too fast for me to keep up with and he managed to score two good slashes to my chest.

I tried my best to keep pace with him, but the slashes he kept scoring on me were beginning to stack. It was only a matter of time before Scorn managed to take me down. Honestly I was kinda surprised I was doing as well as I was considering I had never held a sword before in my life. I guess the ranger suits programmed fighting skills into our brains or something. I'd have to ask Spyro about it sometime… assuming… of course, I **survive** this fight.

I managed to catch his arms as he tried to lunge, tangling them up in my own in order to give myself time to breathe. "Not bad Red Ranger, you're doing better than your worthless friends," said Scorn before he managed to get himself free and headbutted me. My helmet making an almost comical "tunk" sound as his skull collided with it. It didn't really _hurt_ me per say, but the force from the impact was enough to make me stagger back. "But still, my skills are **far** beyond your own," he said before once again scoring a slash across my chest.

The impact caused me to spin through the air, sparks pouring out of my chest like a fountain. Why **do** sparks come on when we get cut or slashed? I guess it's better than the alternative, but still. I guess the suits offer a bit of protection, but still… why sparks? Whatever, my chest was in too much pain to mule over minor details right now. It felt like my chest was **literally** on fire, this constant burning sensation. I could even see a bit of smoke billowing from my chest like the mouth of a volcano.

"I admit, this has been most amusing little Power Ranger," Scorn said as he stood over me. "But this is where our little game ends," he said as he held his hand over me, I saw it begin to glow with green energy. It didn't exactly take a rocket scientist to figure out that he was about to waste me with some kind of magic spell. All I could think to do was try to block it with my sword. But given the fact Scorn just grinned when he saw me bring up the sword to block, it wasn't gonna do much.

"_**Bow of Lightning!"**_

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a bolt of lightening vaguely in the shape of an arrow hit Scorn right in the chest. Electricity surged through the wolf mage as he gurgled and convulsed in an admittedly kinda disturbing manner. I turned around to see Jess had some kind of bow in her hand. It was yellow in color, and kind of shaped like a bolt of lightning, with two lightning bolt shaped blades coming out of the top and bottom intended for melee combat. She just stood there, as if frozen in place.

Better snap her out of… whatever the hell this was. "Nice shot Jess!" I said before getting back to my feet. Scorn staggered back as Dean and Kevin joined me and Jess. "It's over Scorn, you can't beat all four of us!" I said. As if to emphasize the point, all four of us readied our weapons with a simultaneous "Hiya!"

However, Scorn just started laughing at us for some reason. "What's so funny fuzzball?" Asked Kevin, "You finally realize how much of a failure you are?" he added.

Scorn looked to us with a manic gleam in his eye. "No Blue Ranger… I just find the fact you think you've won today quite humorous," he said before fishing some kind of potion out of one of his pouches. The liquid was an unnatural looking blue color, "Tell me Rangers, have you ever seen a growth potion in action before?" he asked us.

He didn't even wait for us to answer before popping the cork out and chugging the whole thing. After he was done he tossed the vial aside which shattered upon impact with the ground. He began to cackle like a hyena as his body began to pulsate, his body growing slightly bigger after each pulsation until he suddenly shot up a good three stories!

We all backed up, hoping to put some distance between us and Scorn's now giant feet. "Okay, who keeps a giant growth potion in their pocket?!" Kevin exclaimed before just barely dodging a stomping attempt by Scorn.

Dean turned to me, "Dylan, if you've got a plan now would be a good time to share it," Dean said. Thing was… what plan could I possibly have for **this**?! Dude was the size of a skyscraper! I'm pretty sure Godzilla is looking at his guy and feeling self conscious!

Man… being a Power Ranger was actually kinda fun up until the psycho wolf mage grew turned himself into a freaking Kaiju!

How do we fight this guy now?

* * *

**A/N: How indeed Dylan, how indeed.**

**If you've read the original, you're probably wondering why I changed Jess' weapon to a bow instead of the daggers she used to have. I wanted to have at least one ranger with a range weapon and it incorporates the electric gimmick easier. **


	5. Enter the Dragon Zord

**Chapter 4: Enter the Dragon Zord**

* * *

_**New Harmony High School, Football Field…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

Well this all fell apart _real_ quick didn't it? Just when we thought we had Scorn right where we wanted him, dude suddenly downs a magic potion and is suddenly going all Godzilla on the city as we all just watch helplessly like a bunch of brightly colored deer in the headlights. I don't know what's worse, the fact he's now the size of Rhode Island, or the fact he got bored and decided to go smash some buildings instead of trying to kill us.

Dean turned to me, "We have to do something! Who knows how many people he's gonna kill!" he said.

Kevin turned to Dean, "Oh right Dean, we'll just go ask the ten story tall wolf man to please stop smashing our city!" he snapped at Dean.

"What do we do then Kevin?" asked Dean, "Just sit here and watch Scorn level our city?!" he fired back.

I quickly got between the two, "Guys knock it off! Arguing with each other **really** isn't helping us right now," I said. "There has to be something!" I said.

Almost as if on cue, some kind of gem popped right out of Jess' belt like the cork of a wine bottle. Out of the little yellow gem appeared a holographic image of none other than Spyro himself. "Guys, you're supposed to be **stopping** Malefor's minions from destroying the city!" he scolded us.

Kevin of course too exception to this, "Dude's bigger than the Empire State Building! How are we supposed to fight _that_?!" he asked.

"With your Dragon Zords," Spyro said plainly.

We all looked at each other, "Zords?" I questioned. I probably should have thought of that sooner, Power Rangers were kinda known for having giant robots to fight giant monsters. I guess I just didn't consider the mystical dragon would have giant robots at the ready for us.

"Yes Dylan, just call for the Dragon Zords and they'll come," said Spyro.

And with that, the hologram disappeared. Jess timidly picked the gem off the ground and stuck it back into her belt.

I turned back to Scorn, who was currently trying to rip a building right from the ground as horrified office workers poured out of it's doors in waves. "Alright, you heard the dragon, **we need Dragon Zord power now!**" I called out, instinctively stretching my hand out for some reason.

At first I thought it didn't work, and kinda felt stupid standing there with my hand stretched out to the sky like this. But then I noticed four little specks flying towards us, as they grew closer, it became clear that these were our zords. Either **that**, or they're **very** big dragons.

Almost on impulse I leaped towards the red dragon zord. As I drew closer, I could make out it's features, it depicted a dragon with an obvious fire motif, it's head spikes kinda resemble little flames that ran from the top of it's skull to the tip of its tail. It's giant metal wings were a darker red with yellow "membrane". It's tail blade was shaped like a flame. It's horns formed a similar bolt shape that Spyro's did, with two smaller horns underneath them.

The second I reached it's head I phased through it as if it were made of water. Landing softly in the cockpit. There were so many buttons and control sticks in here that under normal circumstances I would be completely lost. But yet I somehow knew what every button and switch did. You know what? Why question it? This whole Power Ranger thing is nuts and I might as well enjoy the ride. "Alright Rangers, Red Dragon Zord is online!" I said.

The zord's com system suddenly crackled to life.

"Blue Dragon Zord activated and ready to kick some tail!" said Kevin.

"Green Dragon Zord up and running! Man this thing is cool!" said Dean.

"Yellow Dragon Zord ready for action!" said Jess.

"Alright guys, let's put this dog back on a leash!" I said as I firmly grasped the control stick. I looked around me to see the other zords flanking me on both ends. I noticed that each one resembled the dragon depicted on their helmets… well at least now I had a vague idea of what **my** helmet looked like now… that's something.

Dean was the first to reach Scorn, his zord's maw opened and out shot a giant rock which hilariously blindsided the wolf, causing him to drop the building he was currently holding and fall over like a sack of bricks.

"HA! Bullseye baby!" cheered Dean.

Scorn slowly got to his feet, he had this dumbfounded look on his face like he couldn't believe what he was seeing right now. "You cannot be **serious!**" Scorn howled. "Where did you get giant metal dragons?!" he yelled.

"Walmart," said Kevin as he rained ice shards down on Scorn. "They were having a four for one sale," Kevin continued his joke, which was probably hilarious to him, but was probably much **less** so to the wolf he currently rained sharp chunks of ice upon.

Scorn quickly smacked Kevin's zord right out of the sky with his sword. "I grow weary of your antics Rangers!" he growled. Wow, he **really** didn't like the fact we had zords did he?

I quickly rammed my zord's horns right into Scorn's mid section, both catching him off guard **and** knocking the wind right out of his lungs. "What? You thought we were just gonna stand there and watch you destroy our city?" I asked.

However, suddenly Scorn grabbed my zord by the horns. "No, I expected you to die like good little humans!" he said before slamming my zord into a building I **really** hope was empty as it crumbled under the weight of my zord like it was a gingerbread house.

"Dylan! Are you okay?" Jess asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay, zord took most of it," I said. But I doubt that would last long if I couldn't get free from Scorn's grasp. Suddenly Scorn found himself struck with a bolt of lightning, it has the same exact result as when Jess shot him with her bow earlier. "Thanks Jess!" I said as my zord got back to its feet.

Kevin tried to take advantage, having his zord pounce on Scorn's back, but Scorn quickly grabbed Kevin's zord by the tail and yanked him off rather violently before swinging him at Dean like a metallic dragon shaped flail. The two zords collided with a loud metallic clang and were both sent into the side of a glass office building, said glass shattering into a million tiny pieces immediately upon impact until the metal frame and floors were all that remained.

I quickly tried to get back into the fight, my zord shooting a large burst of fire from it's maw, but Scorn used some kind of spell to block it. "You won't catch me with the same trick _twice_ Red Ranger!" Scorn said before slamming the shield spell right in my zord's face, knocking it right back to the ground.

God… all this rocking back and forth was starting to make my head spin, it was like being on the world's worst carnival ride. I could see Scorn currently slamming Jess' zord around like a rowdy toddler would a toy. "Guys, d- do we have a plan here? I-I'm not exactly having **fun** here!" Jess said. No doubt experiencing the same unpleasant riding experience I had just a few seconds ago.

"I know man," groaned Kevin, "Every time we try to attack him he just tosses our zords around like ragdolls," he pointed out.

"There's got to be a way!" said Dean, "The whole city's counting on us guys!" he added.

I was just about to try to attack again when I felt that presence in the back of my head again.

"_Separated, you cannot defeat him Dylan, but __**combined**__, you will be unstoppable!"_

What the heck was **that** supposed to mean? Combined you will be unstoppable? Wait… did he mean the zords? Can they do that? "Guys, I have an idea, form up on me," I ordered.

Within seconds everyone gathered together. Alright Dylan, here it goes, "Alright guys, let's bring 'em together, combine our zords!" I said.

"Wait what?" Questioned Kevin.

"Is that a thing?" asked Jess.

I thought it over for a minute, before it suddenly came to me, "_**Dragon's Roar, zords combine!**_" I called out. Why not? Vocal commands worked out every **other** time, why not now?

Suddenly my zord started moving on it's own, as did everyone's judging by the surprised yelps that sounded from the com system. Kevin and Jess' zords both began to form legs, and Deans split in two to form arms. Mine began to fold itself inwards. Forming a torso and head. The four zords then slammed together like Lego pieces, forming some kind of… Mega Zord!

"_Dragon Roar MegaZord Active!_" proclaimed a robotic Microsoft Sam voice.

I was suddenly pulled down from my cockpit and into a larger one where my fellow rangers were seated around me. I saw Dean marveling at the controls like a kid in a candy store, "Dude… this is awesome!" Dean said. "Our giant dragon robots just combined into an even **bigger** robot! How is that **not** the coolest thing **ever**?!" he said.

Kevin turned to Dean, "Can we maybe focus on the giant wolf man who's trying to smash our city into a fine paste please?" he asked rather bitterly.

As… erm… "needlessly assertive" as Kevin's tone was, he was kinda right. We needed to stop Scorn before he kills anyone… assuming he hasn't already. "Alright guys, let's give Scorn a good ol' New Harmony welcome!" I said as I grabbed the controls.

I couldn't help but notice Scorn had that same look he had when he first saw our zords, only now multiplied by **ten**. He was **furious! **Dude was even showing his fangs! "NO! ENOUGH OF THIS!" he roared as he began to swing his sword wildly at us. "I've had **enough** of you Power Rangers and your ridiculous metal monstrosities! I will kill you all if it's the **last** thing I **do**!" he screamed as he continued to wail on the MegaZord like a petulant child who was just told the car was being turned around and there wouldn't be any ice cream.

I noticed Kevin sort of tilt his head, "Does anyone else notice how utterly _triggered_ Scorn is right now?" he asked, "Dude's flipping out like a teenage girl who's date stood them up on prom night," he commented.

Of course this little thought was interrupted by the constant and **unbearable** shaking and rattling the MegaZord cockpit was doing right now. Man… this must be what being inside a pepper shaker feels like. "Yeah… we've noticed," said Dean dryly.

"No you don't get it," said Kevin, "He's all razzed up and not thinking straight! Look at the guy! He looks like he's about to **cry**," he pointed out.

I suddenly got what Kevin was getting at here, Scorn was so angry about us pulling another giant robot out of our rears that he was blindly swinging his sword around like an overenthusiastic LARPer. It made him predictable, easy to counter. "Alright guys, we need to keep this dog good and angry, any suggestions?" I said.

Jess began to think, "We need to keep frustrating him, maybe if we knock him around a bit he'll start to get more annoyed?" she suggested.

It was perfect, but first we needed to put some distance between us and Scorn. "Dean, we need to get him off of us first, you think you can do that?" I asked Dean.

Dean nodded, "You've got it!" he said before grabbing his controls and thrusting one of the sticks forward.

The Mega Zord delivered a hard right hand to Scorn's face, causing him to stumble backwards. Scorn growled as he held his chin, "You Power Brats are really starting to wear on my patience!" Scorn snarled. "Power Brats"? Really? What is he? Five?

Scorn went right back on the offensive, getting a rather **nasty** vertical slash across the Megazords torso. The cockpit began to spark and rumble as we all tried our best to not go flying out of our seats. Dean answered back with another right hand, catching Scorn right in the chin, but Scorn quickly answered back with a right hand of his own.

Kevin nearly fell right out of his seat after **that** shot. "Okay, not that I'm not enjoying the world's worst game of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, but is this really the best plan we've got? Because I don't know how much longer I can keep this up," Kevin asked the group.

He was right, Scorn was good and angry, but he was still knocking us around. Not to mention he had a sword and we didn't.

"_Are you certain of that Dylan?"_

Gah! Do you mind weird voice in my head? I'm trying to survive a giant Kaiju battle over here! Wait… maybe the MegaZord **does** have a weapon? "Dean… I need you to make the Mega Zord hold out its hand to the sky," I told Dean.

Dean reacted about how you'd expect. "Seriously?" he questioned me.

I turned to him. "Just do it dude!" I barked at him.

Dean threw his hands up, "Whatever you say dude," he said before doing as I instructed.

"Dragon's Roar Mega Sword!" I called out. To be completely honest, I **guessed** that name off the top of my head. It seemed to fit the other naming conventions this thing seemed to have.

Suddenly the ground shook before suddenly, out of nowhere, a giant sword dropped from the sky as if sent from heaven itself. Falling softly into the Megazords outstretched hand. The sword itself was a very large long sword with a dragon shaped crossguard. All of our symbols lined it's silver blade.

Kevin leaned in to get a better look, "Dude… now **that** is a big sword," he commented. No kidding, things had to be the size of an aircraft carrier! I chanced a look at our canine opponent, his face was contorted into a vicious snarl.

I think we pushed his rage button again. "NO! NO MORE TRICKS! No more hidden weapons or transformations! You will **die** Rangers! You hear me?! DIE!" He cried before charging right at us, sword held high above his head.

I began to act on impulse, as if guided by an unseen hand, man this Ranger stuff is weird. "_**Mega Sword! Aether Charge!**_" I called out. What the heck was "**Aether"**?! Whatever man, don't question it, it'll just make your head hurt. The Mega Sword's blade suddenly began to crackle with some weird purple energy, I guess **that's** Aether. "Alright guys, get ready," I said. I waited for him to get close, and the very second he was within range… "NOW!" I ordered.

The second that word left my lips the Mega Sword came down, slashing Scorn right across the chest. He cried out as the Aether energy surged through his body like electricity. He fell to the ground with a thud.

Scorn slowly sat himself up, he clutched his chest tightly, his eyes darting back and forth as if debating something before finally… "You win **this** time Power Rangers! But I'll be back! And you **will** fall to my blade!" he said before retrieving another potion from his belt and slamming it to the ground. The potion burst into a cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared, Scorn was nowhere to be seen.

A brief moment of silence befell the MegaZord cockpit, but was quickly replaced by the triumphant cheers of all four Rangers. "We did it! We won!" exclaimed Dean.

"Is that really a win?" Jess questioned, "It looked a lot like he just forfeited to me," she pointed out.

Kevin placed a hand on the Yellow Ranger's shoulder, "Dude, that's **still** a win Jess," he pointed out.

I have to admit, despite how insane that all was, I felt amazing right now! I mean… we just **saved** the city! Not many people get to say **that** now do they? But I couldn't help but wonder what that voice was. Whatever it was, I'm pretty sure it just saved not only **our **hides, but the collective hides of all of New Harmony…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Malefor…**_

* * *

"You DARE return to me after **that** display?!"

I was **livid** right now! What I was led to believe would be a simple destruction of a school turned into a complete farce thanks to those… what did they call themselves again? "Power Rangers"?

Scorn was currently on his hands and knees, sniveling like the coward he was. "My lord please! They overpowered me! It won't happen again I swear it!" he said.

"I have no use for excuses!" I roared. "These "Power Rangers" are nothing more than children empowered by a cowardly dragon who **knows** he cannot defeat me himself," I said. "You are not to engage the Rangers until you **prove** to me you can get the job **done**!" I barked at Scorn, "Now leave! Before I change my mind about not ending your pitiful life right here and now!" I ordered him.

Scorn quickly got to his feet and scampered out of there as fast as a bolt of lightning. Rikor then timidly approached me, "M…My Lord? What is it you wish to do now?" He asked me.

I turned to him, "These "Power Rangers" must be dealt with, after what happened with Spyro and Cynder I do not **dare** leave anything to chance," I said. "But for now, let them have their little victory, it will be the only one they have," I said.

I've spent too long trying to fulfill my destiny as purple dragon to have a bunch of hatchlings in multicolored tights interfere. No… I will destroy them just as I have every "hero" who's tried to stop me… all except two of course, but Spyro and Cynder both lived on borrowed time… they would get what's coming as soon as these "Power Rangers" and their pathetic world are burned to the ground…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Dragon Temple…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

After everything was said and done, Spyro had summoned us back to the temple. Suffice to say, after all of that we were all filled to the gills with adrenaline and excitement. I couldn't help but notice the goofy grin plastered on Dean's face, dude seemed to enjoy this whole Power Ranger thing the most out of all of us. I admit, I don't really know Dean that well so I didn't **quite** get why that was. But I was too high off that amazing win to care.

Spyro soon joined us in the main chamber. He was doing his best to hide it, but he was clearly **quite** pleased with us right now. "Excellent work for your first outing, Rangers," Spyro said. "While you guys struggled a bit, you came through in the end and managed to save your city with only moderate damages and minimal casualties," he explained.

Kevin stepped forward. "Dude, Malefor better bring better stuff then that or this is gonna be over quick," he laughed, he even held his hand up for a high five… which no one returned.

Spyro's face however told the story, he had this stern, slightly annoyed look he shot Kevin. "Don't get overconfident Kevin, this was by **no** means Malefor's strongest show of force," he revealed. Kinda killing the mood there Spyro. "Now that Malefor knows your earth has strong protectors, you should expect his attacks to be more elaborate, and his monsters more powerful," he explained.

"Which is why, starting tomorrow, I want you all to start coming here every afternoon after school to train," Spyro then dropped on us like a bomb. Every **day**? How the hell am I going to explain **that** to mom without revealing I'm a fire spewing super hero? "I understand this may be inconvenient to you four, but trust me, while you may have been able to skirt by against the Grublins and Scorn, Malefor **won't** go down so easily, I want you all at your absolute best, am I understood?" he asked us.

"Yes sir,"

"Yeah whatever man,"

"You've got it!"

"Sure thing man,"

Spyro smiled, "Good, for now you four can go home with your heads held high, as sloppy as it may have been, you still managed to save a lot of lives today, be proud of that," he told us.

Man… today had to be the craziest first day of school in the history of the first day of schools. Hard to believe just this morning I thought New Harmony was always going to be a dull, boring town… definitely not the case now that Malefor had basically declared war on it.

A part of me wanted to be a little scared about what might happen… but another part of me remembered I wasn't alone in this… no… as long as I had my team behind me… I think I can just pull this one off…

Knock on wood.

* * *

**A/N: And thus the Dragon's Roar Power Rangers' first adventure comes to a close, what new exciting battles await our heroes? Stay tuned and find out!**

**Again, any feedback is welcome, even if you want to just say that my face is stupid. But I should also reiterate, I'm not accepting ranger submissions this time… trust me… it's better this way… I am but a simple man who gets confused and scared when too many characters are in play.**

**However, ideas for monsters/plots are fine… just don't forget this story is mine and I have final say… okay? Okay.**


	6. Aftermath

**Chapter 5: Aftermath**

* * *

_**New Harmony High School…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

The very idea of trying to go back to my normal life after fighting a giant wolf mage in a giant dragon themed gestalt robot and becoming a brightly colored super hero was an almost _laughable_ prospect. That wasn't even getting into the fact I couldn't tell a **soul** about it lest I lose my powers and in turn doom the world of Malefor's wrath. Yeah… probably shouldn't do that.

We had all elected to go our separate ways for now. After the adrenaline had worn off and the reality of all that we had gone through finally hit us, we **all **kind of needed some space.

So here I was, walking through the now pretty messed up school parking lot. Piles of dirt from fallen grublins littered the pavement, serving as a constant reminder of what transpired here earlier today. Man, I just **can't** wait to just go home and relax for a change, maybe watch something on Netflix or something.

I finally found my car. It was **thankfully** completely untouched by the grublin armies, sitting there just as I had left it. Now to just get in and drive ho-

"FOUTLER!"

You've gotta be kidding me! What is Roth still **doing** here?! You'd think after the grublin attack he would have ran for the hills but I guess he chose to stay behind **just** to jump me or whatever it was he was planning here. I turned to see Roth and his two favorite goons, from the looks of it they were just heading home themselves given the duffle bags they carried. "Kinda surprised to see you still here skater dork, I figured when the monsters showed up, a wimp like you would have ran for the hills," he said. "Where were ya? Probably cowering in a corner begging for mommy!" he mocked me, doing little crying gestures just to further "insult" me.

Something about that just drove me up the wall, the implication that I was some kind of coward after **just** saving the whole city **really** got under my skin. "Drop dead Roth!" I snapped at him.

This only served to send him and his friends into another fit of laughter. "Oh no! I hurt skater boy's feelings, let me back up the wambulance!" he continued to mock me.

God I wanted to deck him, knock him on his stupid tush. I clenched my fist, ready to drive it right into the dumb jock's jawbone… until…

"_No Dylan! Do not give in to anger, take the high road, just walk away,"_

It was that voice again, this time it was trying to play referee and stop me from laying out Roth. I was at once both annoyed **and** confused. Just what **was** this disembodied voice I kept hearing? I had to be linked to my ranger powers somehow. But come on, why **shouldn't** I pop Roth right in his stupid face? Dude has it coming, he's **had** it coming since grade school!

"_Because young ranger, all great warriors must know some battles are not worth fighting, this is one such battle,"_

I can't believe I'm actually being talked out of knocking a bully out by a mysterious voice in my head. However, Roth couldn't hear the voice himself, so he just sorta laughed a little at my hesitation, "Come on Foutler! You wanna hit me? Come on! Be a man for once," he said, he even leaned in close and turned his head to the side, giving me a clear and open shot at him.

"_Do not be tempted by this boy's misplaced bravado, he is only trying to cause you trouble, just get into your car and drive away,"_

You know, the weird voice was kinda right. The fact Roth **wanted** me to hit him was all the proof I needed that hitting him wasn't a good idea. Knowing Roth he'd probably have his rich dad sue me and mom. She could barely support us as it is without Roth's bloodthirsty lawyers looking to get every dime she had. "Why don't you go and punch yourself instead? I have better things to do," I said before getting into my car.

Roth of course took exception to this, "You wuss! Get back out here and fight!" he said, pounding on my glass window like a totally mentally stable person would. I have to admit, voice dude was kinda right, watching him scream and cry about how I wasn't going to fight him was **way** more satisfying than just straight up decking him. I just simply drove away, Roth screaming and hollering in protest the whole time.

Man… he **really** wanted me to fight him didn't he? I think he even tried to throw a shoe at me at one point. Yeah… I think I made the right choice here…

* * *

_**Elsewhere in the parking lot…**_

_**Kevin Naton…**_

* * *

To say today was insane would be an insane oversimplification of the sheer **madness** that was today. At least it was all over now and I could resume my normal life. I turned the key in the ignition and my old junk pile of a car roared to life. The radio coming on right in the middle of "_Video Killed the Radio Star_" by The Buggles. I guess the radio station was still in the middle of it's "Retro Lunch" block.

It's slightly upbeat tone was a stark contrast to all the destruction that currently surrounded me. I could see some of the buildings Scorn and the MegaZord wrecked in the distance. It was a weird feeling, seeing the city you've grown up in resemble a war zone. It was made even **worse** by me knowing I had something of a hand in it's ruined state.

Driving out of the parking lot, I couldn't help but notice Jake Roth freaking out over something. Dude was a total headcase, so who knows what it was that set him off so badly. To be honest, I didn't much care, I just wanted to go home and pass out on my bed. I was tired, sore, and really just wanted to put all this madness behind me.

I never even **wanted** to be a Power Ranger, I only agreed because the group outnumbered me three to one. I mean, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy myself while bowling over grublin after grublin. But I knew deep down that our fights wouldn't always be that easy, and Spyro himself had basically confirmed it back at The Temple when he scolded me for being cocky.

It almost seemed laughable now that just this morning I was worried about my parents and their deteriorating marriage… I'd honestly take **that** over being nearly crushed by a giant wolf man. At least marital issues were **normal**. This whole Power Ranger thing was about as far from normal as you could get.

Not to mention that Spyro now expected us to drop by his place everyday after school for training. How was I going to explain that to my parents? Or hell, my **boss**?! Granted, riding the cash register at McDonald's wasn't exactly the most prestigious of vocations, but I _needed_ that job if I'm ever going to make a life for myself after high school. I doubt my manager is going to accept "super secret Power Ranger training" as an excuse to miss my shift.

The song on the radio eventually ended and the DJ soon came on, "We will return you to your Retro Lunch on WB 33.9 The Wave, but we've just had an update in regards to the attack on northeast New Harmony, apparently… get this… a team of Power Rangers managed to stop the attack before things got **too** out of hand," the host said. "Authorities say this new team of Rangers arrived on the scene in giant robot dragons, taking down the giant monster and forcing it to retreat, authorities still warn residents to avoid the area due to the instability of some of the buildings in the area, we'll update you as soon as authorities declared the area safe," he continued. "Well one thing is for sure, our small little town officially has its own team of Power Rangers," the host added.

"I wonder if they have radios in those giant dragon robots?" another, female host asked, causing her partner to laugh.

"Well if they do, I hope they're joining us for our Retro Lunch here on 33.9 The Wave, New Harmony's number one hit music station," the host said. Shameless plug aside, being mentioned on any sort of news report was kind of insane. "We now return you to your retro music marathon, here's Duran Duran with "Hungry Like the Wolf", here on 33.9 The Wave," the host said.

"Go Go Power Rangers!" the other host quickly chimed in before the previously mentioned song began to play. To say I was a bit freaked out would be a massive understatement, I just got mentioned on a radio broadcast. I was officially a celebrity… kinda.

"_Why shouldn't you be? You saved the city __**and**_ _carry the legacy of the great ice dragons, they __**should**_ _shower you with praise!"_

GAH! It's that weird voice again, the same one that told me about my weapon earlier. You know, I kinda want to take a **break** from the Power Ranger weirdness for a minute, I didn't need the voice of a snooty British dude chiming in every five seconds.

"_Snooty?! Why you… you do know who it is that __**powers**_ _your little morpher don't you? You ungrateful little primate!"_

And now it's mad. Good job Kevin.

"_Well you'd better get used to me, as long as you wear that morpher and drive that zord we're going to be spending a __**lot**_ _of time together,"_

Who are you?! _What_ are you?! Some kind of weird AI in my zord or morpher? Or have I finally snapped and I'm starting to hear voices in my head? Neither would shock me at this point.

"_No you aren't insane and I'm not a mere "AI" you dolt! I'm speaking with you through the… oh ancestors… what did Volteer say it was called again? "The Morphing Grid"? That thing that allows you to dawn your silly little costume!" _said the voice. "_My name is Cyril in case you're wondering, but I really think you should be focusing on your driving little human, you're about to rear end that pick up truck,_" he added.

I suddenly slammed on the breaks, coming mere **inches** from the back end of a Dodge Ram. I guess I had been so distracted by my new friend that I had failed to pay attention to the road. I leaned my head back against the seat, my mind overwhelmed by all this ceaseless insanity that had forced itself upon my life.

Please for the love of god just let it cease… I can't take it…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Streets of New Harmony…**_

_**Jessica Fox…**_

* * *

Trying to come to terms with what had transpired today was more than a little difficult. I still found it hard to even believe it was all real. That over the course of the afternoon had gone from being a forgotten wallflower to the Yellow Power Ranger. I kept expecting to wake up and learned all of it had been some crazy dream. But no matter how much time had passed, there was no "waking up", just further proof everything that had just happened was all too real.

The walk home from school had always been used as a moment of quiet reprieve from a usually lonely and miserable school day. But today it was instead occupied by me trying to come to terms with my new status as world protector. The ruined and crushed buildings around me continued to remind me of what had happened this day.

I was so consumed by my introspection that I had failed to notice a police car drive up to me. "Jess? You shouldn't be walking out here, these buildings could come down any second," said a voice from the cop car. This voice was a familiar one, it belonged to my dad. Dad had been a cop for as long as I can remember, he was well decorated and respected by his department. But was also a touch overprotective in case you couldn't tell. "Come on, get in, I'll drive you home," he offered.

He was probably right, none of these buildings looked very stable, and being crushed by debris didn't exactly sound like an enjoyable prospect. So I got into the back of dad's squad car. Dad driving off the second he heard the click of my buckle. "The department's been going haywire ever since the monster attack," dad said. "This is always something you heard about in major cities like Angel Grove or Mariner Bay, we never thought we'd see one all the way up here in New Harmony," he said.

Dad then came upon a red light and took the opportunity to turn to me, "I heard word the attack started at the high school, you weren't hurt were you?" he asked me.

"No… I got out before things got too out of hand,' I lied. God I hated doing that, my father was a good man who I trusted with my life. But Spyro said if I told **anyone** I was the Yellow Ranger, I'd lose my powers. I hated lying to my father like this, but… in a way, it was protecting him… right? "I'm just glad those Power Rangers got to the monsters when they did," I added.

My dad let out a small sigh, "The Department has no clue what to make of them," he said. "They saved a lot of lives, but they also had a part in some of this destruction," he explained.

I couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt when he said that. I did remember us being knocked into buildings, and who knows how many cars or mailboxes our zords crushed during the fight. It made me kind of wonder how much good we were really doing when we had to pilot giant dragon robots capable of so much destruction through a populated city.

"_Yes but think of the damage that __**would**_ _have transpired had you and your compatriots not foiled that canine mage,_" A voice suddenly said. I nearly jumped out of my seat upon hearing the strange voice. The voice sounded with a light, almost playful sounding laugh. "_There's no need for fear Jessica, you remember me, don't you? I was the one who informed you of your long range electronic projectile device?"_ the voice told me.

I **do** remember that. I remember feeling helpless, fearing that Dylan was about to die right in front of me, something telling me I had a bow, and me willing it into being. I remember there being a strange presence in my head after I had morphed. I guess this voice was that presence. "_A presence? I suppose in theory you could consider me as such, but then again you could say that about most anybody since we all kind of have a "presence" per say," _the voice said before going into a seemingly endless debate with itself over the nature of "presences". I couldn't help but find it a bit amusing, he seemed so excited, like a young child discovering something for the first time. "_Oh… was I rambling again? Terribly sorry,"_ the voice apologized. "_I suppose I should explain what I am, my name is Volteer, I currently exist within your Dragon Zord as a sort of "presence" so to speak, or am I a spirit? A phantom? So many theories… a-anyway, I am currently speaking with you through the "morphing grid" that allows you to attain your empowered ranger form,_" he explained, "_It's all quite fascinating if I do say so myself,_" he said with a small giggle.

Trying to digest all of that information at once was a considerable undertaking. From what I gathered from that, it sounded like the voice was my Dragon Zord, or at least some form of consciousness **within** it. Which meant this was something I was going to have to get used to. As if being a Power Ranger wasn't weird enough right? "_Oh it isn't so bad_," said Volteer "_I can already tell from what I skimmed through your subconscious that you're quite well learned, much like myself, I think we'll get along swimmingly!"_ he said. Not exactly getting the point. He also wasn't helping his case by revealing he could read my mind. "_And this world you live in, it's all so fascinating! It's nothing like the Dragon Realms, so much to learn so much to discover! Oh it's downright exhilarating!" _Volteer continued to ramble.

This was going to be a long car ride…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Quickie Mart…**_

_**Dean Mack…**_

* * *

The convenience store had been a common trip on my run home ever since I started getting money of my own. Usually I just bought a protein bar or something. But after fighting off the Dark Armies, I needed some _serious_ electrolytes man. I went straight to the drinks section and grabbed myself a nice big bottle of Gatorade.

I kind of got the impression that the others were kinda wigged out about the whole "becoming Power Rangers" thing. But me? I loved it. I've always wanted to do something good for the world, make a **real** difference. Being a ranger gave me that opportunity. I'm sure with a little time to adjust, the other rangers would see it that way too. This city was still standing because of _us, _there was no feeling I've experienced that even came close to being as satisfying as that.

Sure it kinda sucked I had to keep it a secret, but then again, it was kinda better that way. I'd rather **not** be hounded endlessly by reporters wanting to get an exclusive from the Green Ranger. It was kinda cool being able to experience all the good I did anonymously, like viewing it from the perspective of the civilians I helped save.

I brought my drink to the register and paid for it in cash. When I left the store, I began to debate whether I should even bother running the rest of the way or not. I mean, fighting evil dirt monsters was pretty good exercise in of itself. But then again, now that I was a ranger, I'd need to be at my absolute best. As I pondered this, I screwed the cap off of my Gatorade and took a swig.

"_Are you certain sugary fruit water is what's best for rehydrating after a battle Dean?"_

Whoa! I looked around me, trying to find out who just said that. I kinda recognized the voice as the same one who had told me about my Ax of Earth. I timidly screwed the cap back onto the Gatorade bottle and began to jog. I guess the voice was a Power Ranger thing or something, like an in built guide. Although why it was questioning my choice in hydration was a mystery in itself.

"_Because I'm not just a "voice" Dean, I am Terrador, the dragon who's visage you currently wear as a helmet,_" the voice corrected me. You know, this was probably one thing about being a Power Ranger I could deal without. Having a weird voice in my head was not exactly ideal. "_Relax young Ranger, I am simply here to be a guide, nothing more,_" the voice tried to reassure me.

This is probably something I should bring up to Spyro tomorrow… you know… just to be safe… I'd rather **not** be insane…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Foutler Residence…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

Arriving home came with it a strange sense of relief, as if by simply **being** here I had escaped the insanity that seemed poised to consume my life. It was a _temporary_ escape mind you, but an escape nonetheless. I got out of my car and began to walk to the front door. However, before I could even open it, my mom ripped the door open and quickly embraced me in a tight hug. "Oh my god Dylan! I heard about what happened at school today! I was so worried! Are you okay?" She said.

"Yeah, I'm alright mom," I said. Her worry was a bit touching, if not a tiny bit embarrassing. Thankfully we live in a rather quiet suburb and no one was outside to witness this.

Mom released me from her embrace. "I heard about it on the news, they're saying Power Rangers were there," she said as we both entered the house.

"Really? I must have **just** missed them," I lied. I don't think I could have told my mom about being the Red Ranger even if it **wasn't** against the rules. Mom already had enough to deal with without having to worry about me fighting giant monsters in a giant dragon robot.

Mom sat herself on the couch, "Well, I'm just glad **you're** okay, when they said the high school itself was attacked I feared the worst, after what happened to your father… I don't think I could handle it if… if," she said, unable to finish her sentence. But she didn't really need to finish it for me to understand what she meant.

I sat down on the couch next to her, "Mom… I'm fine," I said as I put a hand on her shoulder. Seeing her like this, so worried about my safety… it made me wonder if I was doing the right thing in risking my life to save the world? I mean… I wanted to stop Malefor from reducing New Harmony to a parking lot. But was it fair to go behind mom's back like this? If I died fighting Malefor's forces… I couldn't put her through all of that again…

"_Sometimes young Dylan, the right decision can be the hardest, but I assure you, more than your life is at stake here, better to die a hero than live to see everything you love destroyed,_" said the voice. Who I had learned during the car ride home went by "Ignitus". As much as I hated to admit it, and despite how grim what he said sounded, Ignitus was right. As hard as putting her through this was, doing nothing would be so much worse.

I just hope that I can make it through this all in one piece…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Dragon Temple…**_

_**Spyro…**_

* * *

I had lost count of how many hours I spent today staring at the Pool of Visions, watching the humans of New Harmony slowly begin to rebuild after Malefor's first attack. It kind of impressed me how quickly humans were able to set aside the shock of an attack and quickly repair the damage. They kind of reminded me of the moles in that regard, never lingering, just building, just **living**.

I still had so much to learn about this new realm. If it's ultimate destruction weren't at stake, I'd be excited by the opportunity to learn more about this realm precious few of our kind had ever discovered. Maybe someday after Malefor is dealt with, we can bring our worlds together in peace and harmony? I bet we could learn much from these people and vice versa.

But I couldn't focus on that right now, I had to ensure this world's protection before I could even think of unifying it with my own. The Power Rangers were as powerful as that stranger had promised them to be. But the Rangers themselves were still raw, untrained. I was kind of surprised they were able to figure out their powers and weapons on their own like that. A part of me had worried that sending them into battle so soon after getting their powers would have had disastrous results. But I was relieved to be wrong about that.

A part of me wondered if what I was doing was right, putting four young humans in Malefor's sights like this. I knew Malefor would dedicate himself to their destruction, just like he had me and Cynder all those years ago. These kids had lives of their own, families and friends, futures to aspire to. Who was I to force them to put it all on the line to fight **my** battle for me?

But another part of me knew this was the only way, and that the Rangers stood to lose just as much if they stood by and did nothing. I **did** give them the choice to leave and they all willingly turned it down to save their world. But still… these were good people… I'd hate to add their deaths to my list of regrets…

I'd just have to trust them to do what was needed, and prepare them as best I can… it's all I really **can** do…

* * *

**A/N: More of a character building chapter than anything. I promise we'll get back to ranger action soon, but don't forget that one of my regrets with Dragon Legends was my lack of character development.**


	7. Red Hot Temper

**Chapter 6: Red Hot Temper**

* * *

_**Foutler Residence…**_

_**Early Morning…**_

_**Dylan Foutler...**_

* * *

_**Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!**_

Stupid alarm clock… shut up…

I tiredly swung my arm around, hoping to eventually hit the snooze button and silence the infernal device. Eventually I managed to accomplish this task and allow silence to finally return to my bedroom. Part of me **really** wanted to just go back to sleep, but another part of me knew it was a school day and after being late on my first day an unexcused absence would **not** help me. So reluctantly, I forced myself out of bed.

Something deep inside me was kind of hoping the whole "Power Ranger" thing was some elaborate, messed up dream. But the morpher sitting on my nightstand quickly crushed any hope of **that** being a reality. I took the morpher from its place and took a moment to study the device. It was mostly black in color, with golden accents. That symbol appearing at its center in red with gold detailing. I think Ignitus had mentioned at one point that the symbol was the insignia of the fire dragons. That would explain why it keeps being plastered on all of my ranger stuff.

I then clipped the device back around my wrist, knowing I'd probably end up needing it at _some_ point today. I also knew that this afternoon marked our first training session with Spyro. I didn't know if **that** would require morphing, but considering he probably wanted to familiarize us with our new powers, I think it's a pretty safe bet.

The rest of my morning routine was relatively normal, I got dressed, brushed my teeth, and put on some deodorant. All of the typical morning stuff, the only other thing out of place from this typical school day morning ritual was me having to remember to put my Spirit Gem in my pocket. I had a sinking feeling I was going to end up losing this gem at one point. It was so small, the kind of thing that would get easily lost between the cushions of a couch or in the crack between my nightstand and the wall. Why does it even **need** a gem? What's wrong with pushing a button or something simple like that? Whatever, I didn't make the thing, I just wear it.

With my morning preparations made, I made my way downstairs to grab a quick breakfast before heading to school. There I found mom getting her morning coffee ready, she was already dressed in her nurse's scrubs. Mom always had an early shift at the hospital, so we both kind of had to hustle through the morning and be out the door rather quickly. "Morning mom," I greeted her as I entered the kitchen.

Mom turned to me, "Morning sweetie," she said. "I still can't believe they're sending you to school after what happened yesterday, you'd think they'd give you guys a day off to recover from that," she said. Yeah I think we were **all** a little shocked the school chose **not** to cancel the day after nearly being leveled by the world's ugliest dragon and his dirt clod posse. But in a way, I was kind of thankful for it, a sense of normalcy was kinda nice to have after becoming a red spandex clad superhero who occasionally drives a giant dragon robot.

"The hospital is going to be pure chaos," mom said, "With all the people who got injured by that giant monster, we're going to be filled to the gills with patients," she added. I couldn't help but feel a tiny shred of guilt upon hearing that. I guess I should have figured are giant Kaiju battle with Scorn would have hurt more than a few people, but I still couldn't help but wonder how many of those injuries were **our** fault. I mean, we **were** stomping around the city in giant robots, not exactly being mindful of anyone on the streets below.

I grabbed a bagel from the cabinet and grabbed my car keys from the rack. "I'd better get going, I don't want to end up being late again," I said before attempting to make my way out.

However… "What do you mean "again"?" asked mom. Oh crap… I guess with the whole grublin attack thing the school had forgotten to call mom about my tardy. "You were late for school yesterday?" she asked me.

Why do I do this to myself? "I forgot to set my alarm clock the night before and wound up being a minute late," I explained. "I may have also got detention for literally bumping into Jake Roth,," I added. Oh sure Foutler, make it **worse** for yourself by revealing you got detention! Brilliant strategy!

Mom sighed in annoyance, "And you were planning on telling me all of this… when exactly?" she asked me. But she didn't even wait for an answer before continuing to scold me. "Dylan I've told you a million times not to pick fights with people!" she said.

"Hold on, I didn't "pick a fight" with Roth!" I protested, "I accidentally bumped into him, he decided to sick his friends on me, and Vice Principal Layfield chose to interpret that as me attacking Roth," I explained.

I could already tell by the look mom was giving me that she wasn't buying it. "Dylan… I know Roth can be a jerk, that he constantly harasses you, but you need to learn to control your temper around him, all fighting him is going to accomplish is getting you expelled," she warned me.

I can't believe I'm having this conversation right now! Roth is the one picking fights not me! "Tell Roth that," I said before opening the front door, "Bye mom," I said before leaving the house.

I heard her call out to me, but I wasn't **having** this conversation today. With all the insane stuff I had on my plate now, the **last** thing I needed right now was to be lectured over something I never even _did_. I got into my car and turned the key in the ignition. I at least expected **mom** to believe I never picked a fight with Roth. Why does everyone think I was the bad guy in that scenario?

"I don't think it was that she didn't believe you Dylan, it was that she was concerned it **would** devolve into violence," Ignitus chimed in, "_I do recall you came __**quite**_ _close to punching Jacob Roth after the battle with Scorn," _he continued. I don't recall asking for input from the peanut gallery.

I began to back out from the driveway before turning into the street and beginning my drive to school. "_I believe you need to find a way to make peace with Jacob, this rivalry of yours could only lead to your mutual destruction,_" Ignitus said, apparently hell bent on having this conversation despite my obvious lack of desire to have it. He didn't know Roth like I did, there **was** no "making peace" with him. Dude was a psychopath with a violence streak a mile long. I wasn't about to go and make friends with the guy. "_I'm not asking you to "make friends", I'm asking you to make peace, there is a great difference,_" Ignitus corrected me.

Yeah I'm done with this conversation, I turned the radio on, hoping to drown the unwanted lectures from my dragon zord's ghost thing with music. It would have been nice for Spyro to warn us that our zords had minds of their own with access to our brains. I guess I can kiss the concept of privacy goodbye.

Hopefully school will go better for me this time… knock on wood.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

Malefor was still fuming from our defeat at the school, thankfully his anger seems to have shifted from me to those Power Rangers, otherwise my days might have been numbered. I must admit however, Malefor's hatred for the Power Rangers was something we shared. I had **never** been defeated like that before. The great and powerful Scorn Dreadfang, defeated by mere children! It was insulting, but next time I faced them… I would destroy them… slowly and painfully!

I decided to visit Rikor, ever since my… defeat… Malefor had Rikor try to come up with a monster that would take down those infernal rangers. "Any progress Rikor?" I asked the lizard sculptor.

Rikor turned to me. Holding out a tray with a sculpture of what seemed to be a giant malformed mole like creature with a giant drill for a nose and absurdly long claws. "Meet DrillFace!" he introduced the monster. "His claws and drill nose can dig through any surface no matter **how** strong," he bragged. "The Power Rangers won't be able to keep track of him when he tunnels under their feet," he claimed.

Rikor's monster was ridiculous, they always were. Rikor had the imagination of a young child, and his monsters always reflected that. But they always had a tactic behind them, an intelligence behind their design. Having a monster that can tunnel underground and catch the rangers off guard was perfect. They can't fight what they can't see, and they were so inexperienced they'd never be able to adjust their tactics in time.

"Bring it to Malefor, if he approves of it then you may bring it to life and send it to the city," I told Rikor. He nodded and ran off to do just as I had told him. I could only hope Rikor's monster works, as much as I'd like to destroy the Power Rangers myself, I knew getting rid of them quickly would be preferable. Leaving Spyro and Cynder alive too long was what wound up undoing Malefor last time, I would not make the same mistake with these rangers…

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**New Harmony High School…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

One of the first things that really struck me when I first arrived at school today was just how… normal… things were. You'd never think this school had been attacked by an evil dragon's monster army yesterday given how calmly everyone just went about their day. The only real proof the attack even happened was that the football field was currently locked off by a padlock with a note taped to the gate saying that all football activities would be postponed until the field can be repaired.

I bet **that's** gonna break poor Jake Roth's heart, football is all his small lizard brain can understand.

"Coach said it should be good by next week,"

I turned to see Dean was standing behind me, wearing a gray hoodie with a green Nike swoosh printed on the front. This was probably the first time I've actually **seen** Dean outside of his football pads come to think of it. You could tell even in spite of his bulky sweatshirt that the dude was pretty well built. "Apparently the Grublins messed the turf up to the point where the state athletic commission deemed it unsafe for play," he clarified.

"Hard to think that was the worst damage the school got," I said.

Dean sighed, "Can't say the same for the surrounding city, they still won't let traffic go through out of fear a building will collapse on someone," he said. "But I still like to think we stopped it from getting as bad as it could have," he added.

Dean was probably right, as bad as things had gotten back there, it could have been a lot worse. The city was lucky Spyro chose us when he did otherwise this school might have ended up being a parking lot.

Dean and I both began to walk to the building together. I admit, I don't **really** know Dean all that well, in fact, none of us rangers really **knew** each other. Dean and Jess were apparently friends long before meeting me and Kevin. But Kevin was the closest one of the group to me, and we hadn't really interacted much since we were kids.

You'd think Spyro would have picked a more tightly knit group than this is all I'm saying. "So… how much you wanna bet we don't make it through the day before Malefor attacks again?" I asked Dean.

Dean just shook his head, "I hope not, if my grades slip dad's never gonna let me hear the end of it," Dean said with a slight laugh.

"Well we'd better start thinking of excuses now, you know how it goes in superhero movies, bad guys always have notoriously bad timing," I said.

"FOUTLER!"

Case and point… here comes Jake Roth, and man, did he look **mad**. I guess the dude was still fuming from when I ditched him in the parking lot yesterday. He seemed surprised to see Dean with me for some reason, I guess he never expected one of his own to hang out with me. "You know Mack, I'm not surprised you're lowering yourself to being friends with Foutler, he another charity case like Fox?" he asked Dean.

Dean for whatever reason didn't take that jab as badly as he probably should have, just sorta laughing off Roth's comment. "Dude, we just survived a monster attack, you think you could lay off the bully jock thing for a while?" Dean asked.

Roth rolled his eyes, "You always gotta keep the losers in their place Mack," he said before turning to me. "You and I have unfinished business skater boy," he snarled. "You owe me a fight from yesterday, and this time, you're not driving away like a scared little girl," he growled before shoving me back.

I growled as I managed to catch my footing. I could already hear Ignitus trying to talk me out of fighting back, but I wasn't going to sit here and take this! However, before I could shove him right back Dean put himself between me and Roth. "Knock it off!" Dean barked at Roth. "Dylan's not fighting you Jake, so why don't you take your friends and leave us alone, or do I need to tell coach about how you decide to spend your morning?" he threatened.

Roth snarled in frustration, being forced to choose between his joke of a football career and his hatred of me. I remembered that the coach had told me he couldn't cut Roth due to his father being chums with the school. But Roth himself didn't seem to know that for whatever reason, as he finally backed down, turning to me. "This isn't over mop head, your little girlfriend here won't always be there to save your worthless hide," he said before he took his goon patrol and left.

"That dude needs a serious attitude adjustment!" I snapped.

Dean however, "Dude, relax!" he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Roth isn't worth getting expelled over, save the violence for Malefor and friends," he told me. Why was everyone so against me laying into Roth? Yeah, I know he'd probably have his rich parents sue me, so taking the road of the pacifist was probably the smarter option. But **god** did Roth make it **really** hard sometimes. "Come on man, let's get to class and put Roth out of our minds for a bit, alright?" he offered before leading me back towards the school.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

"So you believe this monster will be able to defeat the Power Rangers?"

I had decided to accompany Rikor as he pitched his new monster to Lord Malefor. For what it's worth, Malefor seemed into the idea of using Drill Face. Rikor himself seemed quite nervous however. It was admittedly quite hard **not** to be intimidated by Malefor given his power and apparently short temper. "Y-Yes Lord Malefor, I believe his ability to drill underground will make it difficult for the inexperienced Power Rangers to keep track of," he explained.

Malefor began to ponder, "And when he is done with the Rangers, he can destabilize the foundations of their city from underneath, destroying it before they even know what's happening," said Malefor with an insidious glee. "Very well, send it to the city and have it begin causing chaos, the Power Rangers, as foolishly noble as they are, will be drawn to it like moths to a flame," he said.

Rikor bowed his head before setting the sculpture on the ground, he then stretched his hands down over it, "_**By the powers of the darkest magic in the realms, I command the dark spirits to grant this clay creation LIFE!**_" he began to chant before the statue began to glow before enlarging and gaining color. Before long… Drill Face was as alive as any other creature.

The monster began to cackle as it bounced around like an excited child. "Where are they? I'll put those Power Rangers six feet under! Lemme at em!" Drill Face said. It's voice was strangely high pitched, and honestly kind of annoying.

Malefor seemed to agree, as I could see him visibly snarling as the monster fidgeted around. "You will go to the human city and cause as much destruction as you can to draw out the Rangers, then… I expect you to _**destroy**_ them… do not fail me creature… or else," he growled.

"You got it boss! I'm gonna dig up some _real_ trouble for those Power Rangers!" he said before I created a portal for him to travel through. "Just you watch, those rangers are about as good as buried!" he said before leaving through it.

Malefor turned to Rikor, "Why does it insist on throwing around digging and dirt puns?" he asked Rikor plainly.

Rikor shrugged, "I like my monsters to have a bit of a personality," he stated. Malefor's only response being an annoyed growl and an eye roll.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**New Harmony High School Hallway…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

You know, I get Dean didn't want me getting into a fight with Roth, but he really didn't need to **stalk me all the way to my locker**. Dude was hovering around me like a mosquito and I have to be honest, it was really starting to annoy me. "Dean… I don't need a babysitter," I said flatly.

Dean however, "I think you do, I saw that look on your face after Jake shoved you, trust me man, you need this," he said. This was getting kind of stupid, would the world really end if I punched Roth's daylights out just once? It's not like he doesn't deserve it.

However, before more could be said, Dean and I both heard a soft beep come from our morphers before the emblem on my morpher opened up and spat out a red gem, which produced some kind of holographic image of Spyro. "Rangers, Malefor has sent some kind of monster loose on the city, it's down by the shopping district, take it down before it hurts someone," he instructed us before the image vanished. I took the gem from its place and stuffed it back into the morpher. Spyro really needs to find a more efficient means of communication.

But hey, at least I'll get to hit **something** today…

Dean and I both darted out of the school and began to make our way to the shopping district. Thankfully, that wasn't too far from the school, so it was easily reached on foot. After a bit of running we came onto the scene and found… I don't even know how to begin to describe this…

The place was a mess of dirt tunnels, it looked as if Bugs Bunny had a **really** hard time finding his way after missing that turn in Albuquerque. Tables were overturned, signs knocked over, and a few unfortunate shoppers trapped in dirt mounds. But the strangest thing of all was… I couldn't find that "monster" Spyro mentioned.

Kevin and Jess both arrived on the scene shortly afterwards. "Have to say… I'm not a fan of what they've done with the place," joked Kevin.

"Oh I don't think you'll like **this** either!"

Suddenly what appeared to be a mole with a drill for a nose burst from the earth itself and launched poor Kevin a good ten feet through the air. "Haha! Have a nice flight kid?" the mole thing asked as Kevin hit the ground with a thud. "Come on, who's next?" he asked before slowly turning to me, "How about you girly hair? You wanna go for a ride?" he asked me.

Girly hair? You know, I've already had to put up with a lot of crap today, I don't need a mole monster with a drill for a nose throwing insults at me. I took my spirit gem out of my pocket, "How about we take **you** for a ride instead?" I said. "_**It's Morphin' Time!"**_

"_**Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form!"**_

"_**FIRE!"**_

"_**EARTH!"**_

"_**ELECTRICITY!"**_

Kevin groaned as he slowly got up, his eyes went wide when he saw we were morphed and began to fumble for his gem before locking it into his morpher. "_**Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form! ICE!**_" he called before taking his Blue Ranger form and joining by our side.

"_**Dragon's Roar! United we SOAR!"**_

The drill mole didn't seem all that impressed, "Well well, if it isn't the Power Rangers! Malefor wanted me to dig you four up an early grave!" he said before tunneling into the ground beneath him.

Jess began to nervously look around for any signs of the mole. "Watch out guys, he can sprout up from anywhere!" she warned us. But as if this were a cheesy sitcom, the very instant those words left her lips the mole sprang up from the ground and got all of us with his comically long claws. You could almost **hear** the laugh track and Seinfeld music as we all fell like a ton of bricks.

I quickly got up, only to find out the mole had gone back underground again! I **so** did not need this today! Between the constant lectures and Roth's shenanigans, the last thing I needed was Malefor's stupid monster making us play the world's most painful game of Whack-A-Mole! "Come on out and fight you coward!" I growled.

The mole then suddenly sprang out from the ground I was standing on, which caused me to lose my footing and fall flat on my face. "Aw… looks like Red Ranger's **mad**!" the monster teased me. "Am I getting **under** your skin Ranger? Or am I just **digging** at that big ego of yours?" he asked me.

I don't know what's worse, the pain… or the puns. Malefor must have one twisted sense of humor, he was probably sitting in his evil doom fortress laughing his tail off as he watched this stupid monster make us look like idiots! "Sword of Flame!" I called, summoning my sword. "We'll see who's laughing when I chop that stupid drill right off your nose!" I roared before attempting to make good on that threat and chop his drill off. But the mole managed to side step me, causing me to stumble a little from the force of the swing. I tried to catch him with another horizontal slash, but he ducked it and answered with a slash of his own. His claws sliced through my suit in an explosion of sparks before I was sent flying right into the arms of my fellow rangers.

"Dude! Chill out!" I heard Dean say. "You aren't doing us **any** favors getting mad! We need to think of a strategy!" he said.

I growled as I readied my sword, "Well while **you're** thinking, I'm gonna slice this stupid monster into tiny bite sized pieces!" I said before launching myself at the monster again.

God I just wanted to lay into this stupid pun spewing mole! Him and his stupid drill nose! But the stupid thing wouldn't stay still, constantly dodging my attacks before going back underground again. "Seriously?!" I protested.

I suddenly felt something strike my back, forcing me right back to the ground again. "Man, you're really digging your own grave here Red Ranger!" said the mole. Please… make the bad puns stop… they hurt me…

The mole of course hadn't forgotten that he had three other rangers to toss around like rag dolls. Catching all three of my fellow rangers with a spinning slash, sending them all flipping onto their collective backs. "Man, this **almost** isn't even fun! Your offense is **full** of holes!" said the mole. Did **every** sentence have to be some kind of digging pun? He's like a bad comedian who **knows** he's losing his audience so he's just firing every bad joke he has in the vain hope something sticks.

I tried to force myself to my feet, but my body was already spent, all I could do was lay there and watch this stupid monster dance around like an idiot, laughing his tail off and spewing puns.

However, something… odd happened. I think a glare from one of the store windows shined in its eyes, it reacted like it's retinas had suddenly caught fire. "AGH! I don't do so goon in the spotlight! I'll destroy you rangers later!" he said before digging into the ground and tunneling away. At least it wasn't a **digging** pun this time.

All I could do was groan and bap my helmeted head against the ground. That had to be the most pathetic display in the history of superheroes…

* * *

**A/N: Looks like Dylan's temper has caused our hero's first defeat. Can they get their act together and defeat DrillFace? Find out next time!**

**I'm so sorry this chapter was late, I had planned on posting a new chapter every other day, but I got blind sided by my old nemesis... writer's block! But thankfully I managed to get it done and will hopefully be able to keep up with the schedule I set for myself from here on out. **

**Also, coming up with groan worthy digging puns was a lot harder than you'd think… these dad jokes don't come easy!**


	8. Blinded By The Light

**Chapter Seven: Blinded by The Light**

* * *

_**Dragon Temple…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

Spyro had called us back to the temple shortly after the mole monster handed us our brightly colored behinds. I was absolutely fuming right now, I can't believe how easily that thing beat us! It was humiliating, and now Spyro was about to chew us out for it!

So here all four of us were, waiting for the inevitable. There was a good ten minutes of awkward tension before the purple dragon emerged from the hall. You could tell by the look on his face alone that he wasn't impressed with that performance. "Rangers, what happened out there was exactly why I wanted you four to start training," Spyro said. "You four are inexperienced, you haven't gelled as a team yet, so don't take this defeat to heart," he said.

All seemingly standard stuff so far, an "aw shucks, we'll get 'em next time" speech if ever there was one. However, his eyes suddenly turned to me. "Dean, Jess, Kevin, I want you four to go to the training dojo and practice your hand to hand, Dylan and I need to have a conversation," he said.

I of course was confused as to why he was singling me out here, but the other rangers offered no protest and simply headed to the dojo as asked. "D… did I do something wrong?" I asked. To be honest I was a little nervous. I could tell from the look he was giving me that this wasn't going to be a fun talk.

Spyro seemed to be pretty annoyed with me for some reason, as if this whole thing were only **my** fault. "Dylan… do you mind telling me what happened out there? You seemed to do fine against Scorn… but yet Drill Face seems to have not only **beaten** you, but completely embarrass you and your team," he said.

I thought over what had happened during the fight, trying to figure out what **exactly** went wrong. "I… I dunno man… he just… managed to outmaneuver us I guess," I suggested.

However one look at Spyro's expression told me that wasn't the answer he was looking for. "No… that's **not** what happened," he said rather bitterly. "What happened was you got frustrated and threw your team of balance," he corrected me. "Your temper almost cost your team their lives," he added.

Oh god, am I seriously going to have this conversation again? "I don't have an anger problem! God why is everyone getting on my case about this today? First my mom, then Dean, and now you!" I said, "I'm fine!" I snapped.

However Spyro didn't take kindly to that, storming up to me and using that imposing stature of his to intimidate me. Spyro could be pretty frightening when he wanted to be. "Clearly, you _aren't_," he growled. "Drill Face got under your skin, and instead of adjusting your strategy and trying to outsmart him, you chose instead to give into anger and blindly attack, and it almost got you killed," he explained. "And given both Dean **and** your mother noticed this, I'm assuming this isn't the _only_ time you let your temper get out of hand," he added.

Yup, I'm having this conversation… again… "Jake Roth pushes me around all the time, but yet whenever I try to push back, everyone acts like **I'm** the bad guy!" I explained.

But Spyro shook his head, "Sometimes we need to learn to be the bigger man Dylan," he told me. "You may find it hard to believe, but you're not the only one who's struggled with their anger," he said. I noticed his expression getting softer, less aggressive. "When I was younger, around your age actually… there was an attempt to bring Malefor back from his prison, an ape named Gaul wanted to use an event known as "The Eternal Night", where evil energy is at its strongest, to free him from his prison," he began to tell me. "I remember him capturing a close friend of mine, he wanted to bring her back under Malefor's control I think… she never really did explain the specifics to me," he added with a slight chuckle at the end, but his face quickly returned to a somber expression, "I remember being so angry when I found out my friend's fate… after all she had gone through, after how hard she struggled to come to terms with what she had done under Malefor's influence… to learn she would just fall back into his claws… it angered me… I wanted nothing more than to hurt Gaul for what he had done, what he was **going** to do… I lost focus… when we fought… no matter how hard I hit him, he just kept getting up… I got so frustrated that I failed to see a blow from him coming and he knocked me into the Well of Souls…" he said.

He then began to take deep breaths, like someone about to confess something dark, something they weren't proud of. "The evil energy from the well mixed with my own, my anger allowed it to take complete hold of me… until there was nothing left but the hate… I wound up killing Gaul… by the time I finally came to my senses it was already too late… Malefor was free and the cave we were fighting in began to collapse… I had to use my time powers to freeze my friends and I and… wound up leaving the world to suffer Malefor's wrath for three whole years… all because I allowed anger to blind me, and ultimately _consume_ me," he finished.

It didn't exactly take long to figure out why Spyro had told me this story, he was trying to make a point that letting anger consume you wasn't a good thing. However, Spyro sat himself next to me, telling me his lecture wasn't quite over just yet. "I know that sometimes it's tempting to give in to your anger, be it against a bully like Roth or a monster, but you have to be willing to live with the consequences that follow," he told me. "I have to live with what I did to Gaul and my world as a whole every day, if I had learned to control myself, to focus on the task at hand instead of my own feelings, Malefor would probably still be in the Well of Souls," he explained to me. "Sometimes… we need to remember to **think** before we **act**," he said.

Hearing Spyro's story, I think I finally got his point. I'd hate to think how I would have felt if I had actually seriously hurt Roth. I mean, he's a grade a jerk store, but if I wound up putting him in the hospital… I don't think I'd be able to live with myself. And thinking about it, I did the team **no** favors by mindlessly swinging at the monster like a crazy person instead of trying to plan around his digging ability.

Spyro noticed my introspection and shot me a warm smile, "You're starting to get it now, aren't you?" he asked me. I simply nodded, feeling too bad about myself to give him more of a response than that. "Don't get it twisted though, I chose you to be leader for a reason Dylan, I know you're more than capable… you just need to believe it yourself… and learn to think before you leap," he said with a sly wink.

Suddenly the water in Spyro's pool thing began to bubble as if it were boiling. I noticed Spyro's expression hardened, "Looks like Malefor's monster is back," he said before turning to me, "I'll get your friends, you get ready… and remember… think before you act," he said before getting up and leaving.

Spyro was right… if I wanted to beat this monster… I needed to learn to **think** before I **act**. This wasn't a fight I'd be able to win with brute strength, I needed to be smart about it. Come on Foutler… think… how do I beat a giant mole with a drill for a nose? I thought over the fight I had with it, trying to remember if there was anything I could exploit as a weakness… until I remembered what happened at the end.

He bailed… he could have destroyed us right then and there but something forced him to scamper away. But what was it? It… it was a light right? Yeah, the sun reflected off a store window and it bothered him… bright light! Of course! Moles don't like bright lights because their eyes are meant for darkness and too much bright light hurts them!

Just as this revelation entered my mind, the other rangers entered the room with Spyro following close behind. "So… are we ready to go?" asked Jess.

I nodded, "Yeah… but first… I think I know how to beat the mole," I said before everyone huddled around and I explained my plan to the group. While I was doing this, I couldn't help but notice the proud expression on Spyro's face… letting me know I had indeed gotten what he was telling me before…

* * *

_**Later…**_

_**Town Square…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

Just as Spyro's Pool of Visions had said, the mole was at the town square. He was having a grand old time tunneling under cars and flipping them over. We had already morphed before arriving on the scene. "Okay Drill Nose, you've had your fun, now you're going **down**!" I said.

The mole turned to us, "Oh look, if it isn't the Power Rangers! Back for another beating?" he laughed.

I turned to the others, "Okay guys, like we planned," I said. Kevin and Jess both nodded and charged at the drill mole with their weapons drawn.

"_**Elemental Power! Lightening SHOT!"**_

"_**Elemental Power! Freezing Slash!"**_

The mole quickly began to dig into the ground before the shots could hit their mark. I turned to Dean, "Alright Dean, I need him to come my way and **only** my way," I said.

Dean nodded, "_**Elemental Power! Rock Wall!"**_ He said before raising two walls of rock with his arms like a symphony conductor.

"OW! Who put that rock there?!" Whined the mole before he began to tunnel towards me. You'd think with how strong his claws were that he'd be able to dig through Dean's rocks but hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

"_**Sword of Flame!**_" I called, summoning my sword. Now all I needed to do was wait. The mole suddenly burst from the underground, I quickly turned to Jess. "NOW!" I said before holding the blade of my sword up to eye level with the monster.

Just as we planned, Jess outstretched her hand towards my sword, "Elemental Power! Electric Shot!" she called before striking my sword with her electricity, lighting it up like a spotlight. The Mole cried out before falling flat on it's back, trying to cover its eyes with it's paws.

"OW! What **was** that?!" he whined before getting back to his feet. But it was obvious from the way he fumbled around that he was blinded by the bright light. "H… how'd you know I don't like bright light?!" he cried.

"Easy… when I wasn't so focused on my anger and frustration I remembered you fled the fight last time when a bright light shined in your eyes… so I decided to use it against you this time instead of confronting you directly," I explained. "Or, if you want the short version… I **thought** before I **acted**," I said with a sly smirk.

I then began to move my sword in a slow, circular motion, "_**Elemental Power… Blazing Slash!**_" I cried before slashing my sword and sending a wave of fire right at the mole.

The mole was completely blindsided by it, and soon found it's ugly self completely engulfed in flames. "AAAGH! No fair! You cheated!" the mole continued to whine.

"It's called strategy Drill Face!" Said Kevin as he leaped through the air, coming down with a vicious slash to the mole monster's chest. "It's not our fault you didn't see it coming!" he added.

The mole began to wildly swing it's claws around, still blinded by the light. Dean landed right in front of him and scored two nasty slashes across its chest. "Face it man, you just got out coached!" he said before sending the mole flying with an upwards slash.

Jess quickly capitalized by firing several lightning arrows into the beast mid air. "_**Elemental Power! Lightening SHOT!"**_ She said before lighting him up like a Christmas tree with her electric arrow. "Don't be _shocked_, no one beats the Power Rangers!" she said. Her fight banter really needs work, but that didn't really matter much, we still had a monster to take down.

The mole struggled to get back to its feet as all four rangers joined side by side. "Alright guys, one more powerful attack should be enough to put him down," I said. As I wondered how we'd make such a powerful attack happen, suddenly I heard Ignitus' voice in the back of my mind.

"_Combine your weapons together, form a weapon capable of channeling all of your elemental dragon magic into one concentrated blast,"_

We can do that? I guess, just like our zords, our weapons were able to come together and form a bigger weapon too. "Alright guys, let's combine our weapons!" I said. The others reacted about how you'd expect, with confusion. However apparently something told them to do as I said as they began to do just as I asked.

"_**Ax of Earth!"**_ Dean called out before folding his ax into a gun shape and tossing it into the air.

"_**Lance of Ice!"**_ cried Kevin before he split the heads of his lance in two and tossed them into the air, forming grips along the side of Dean's gun ax.

"_**Bow of Lightning!" **_exclaimed Jess before she tossed her bow into the air, the bow latching onto the barrel of Dean's ax gun, forming some kind of sight.

I leaped into the air before slamming my sword down along the length of the weapon. "_**Sword of Flame!**_" I called before coming down with the now formed weapon.

Everyone grabbed hold, Dean and Kevin grabbing it by the two lance handles while Jess positioned the weapon onto her shoulder, me holding the ax gun by it's grip. "_**Ultimate Dragon Roar Cannon! Ready!**_" we all said in unison.

The mole finally got his vision back, but too little too late. As the cannon began to charge with all of our combined elemental magic. "Oh man… you really got dirt on me this time!" the monster said. He really had to get one last groan worthy pun in before his death didn't he? At least you can't say he isn't committed to the bit.

"_**FIRE!" **_we all exclaimed before the combined elemental attacks fired out of the cannon, hitting the mole monster right in the center mass. The monster cried out as sparks exploded from every part of his body before ultimately exploding into a fireball upon hitting the ground.

Everyone instantly began to celebrate, another victory for team Power Rangers! Or so we thought… until we heard a slow clapping sound from behind us.

We all turned to see an all too familiar looking wolf mage approach us. "Very well done Rangers, most impressive," he said before producing a potion from his coat. "A shame that Drill Face won't remain dead for long… although he might be slightly… taller… than you remember," he said with a dry laugh before he poured the liquid onto the smoldering pile of ash that was once Drill Face.

"Uhh… I kinda feel like we should be stopping this," Kevin pointed out, but by then it was too late. Not only was Drill Face back from the grave, he was now the size of a small nation! Yeah… I think it's MegaZord time...

"_**We need Dragon Zord power NOW!"**_

The instant we called for them, out came our dragon zords. We all leapt into their cockpit and began to process of combining them. "_**Dragon's Roar! Zords Combine!" **_we all called in unison before our zords began to combine into the Dragon's Roar MegaZord.

"_**Dragon's Roar MegaZord! READY!"**_

"Alright guys, let's whack this mole!" I said before we all moved the MegaZord into battle. The mole wasted no time slashing at the MegaZords torso, sparks flying everywhere on both impacts. The force sent the MegaZord stumbling back.

"Ha! You guys are gonna have to dig deeper than **that** to take **me** down!" laughed Drill Face.

Dean shook his head, "Man! That moles claws are just as nasty as his puns," Dean commented.

Jess turned to me, "Do you think we could blind him again?" she asked me.

I looked towards the sun, noticing it was still in the process of rising, but it was currently behind us where we would need it to be in front for us to use it against Drill Face. "Yeah, but we're going to need to swap positions with Drill Face for it to work," I said.

Dean cracked his knuckles, "No problem!" he said before taking to his controls. The MegaZord grabbed Drill Face by the arms and tossed him over it's shoulders, causing him to land behind the MegaZord.

"Ow! Don't you get handsy with **me** Rangers!" the mole protested as it got back to its feet.

"Alright, now that he's in position, it's time for the Dragon's Roar Mega Sword!" I exclaimed before summoning that very weapon from the sky. Where **does** that sword come from anyways? Bah, not important right now. The MegaZord grabbed the giant blade by the hilt and held it to the sky. After a bit of careful positioning the blade's reflective surface managed to bounce the light from the sun right into Drill Face's eyes.

The giant monster once again recoiled in pain. "GAH! STOP THAT!" it whined.

"NOW! While it's blinded!" I called out. "_**Mega Sword! Aether Charge!" **_we all said in unison as the sword began to charge with whatever the hell "Aether" was supposed to be. The second the mole got back to its feet the giant sword came down with a vicious vertical slash, cutting the monster right down the middle.

"Oh man! I'm really in a hole now!" the monster exclaimed, once again choosing to go out with one last cringe worthy pun before succumbing to it's explosive, fiery fate.

The cockpit of the MegaZord found itself once again filled with our triumphant cheers as another bag guy had fallen before us, albeit more permanently than Scorn had. This victory certainly felt more satisfying than the one we had over Scorn for some reason. I guess it was because I learned to overcome my anger and focus on what needed to be done. It was a personal victory for me in a way… finally overcoming a hurdle I didn't even know I needed to get over.

* * *

_**Later…**_

_**After School…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

The rest of the school day had thankfully gone on without a hitch, our battles with Drill Face had thankfully not cost us too much time before class and I was able to attend them all without any complications. Dean and I were walking out together as we both drove to school and thus needed to get our cars. "Man… you really turned things around today dude," Dean complimented me.

I nodded, "Yeah, Spyro was right… I just needed to think before I acted," I said.

"Man that must have been hard,"

Oh no, of course Jake was there waiting for me. "Considering you don't have a brain to think with mop head," Jake snorted before getting right up in my face. "We have unfinished business Foutler, so how about it? You gonna fight me? Or are you gonna hide behind dreadlocks over there?" he said.

I thought about what Spyro had told me about having to live with the consequences of giving into anger. I wanted to hit Roth, but I knew now it wasn't worth it. "Look Roth, violence may be the only solution to neanderthals like you, but us intelligent folk prefer the diplomatic approach," I said before going right around him and heading to my car. "Feel free to beat yourself up if you like, but I'm personally done being ruled by my anger," I said before Dean and I continued on our way.

Roth was dumbfounded, he was expecting me to start a fight with him. Dean and I shared a fist bump, happy that I had finally chosen to take the high road instead of stooping to his level.

It's always better to think before you act.

* * *

**A/N: You know, I really hate writer's block sometimes.**

**Once again I find myself late with a chapter because my dumb brain doesn't wanna come up with ideas anymore. Ugh…**

**But… thankfully I managed to overcome it once again and hopefully these chapters will come easier to me from here on out.**

**Update, 4/10/20: "Bubbling as if it were bubbling"... brilliant writing there Foowd... fixed this horrendously redundant line that was redundant.**


	9. A Case of the Blues

**Chapter 8: A Case of the Blues**

* * *

_**Naton Residence…**_

_**Kevin Naton…**_

* * *

Just a typical evening at the Naton residence… if by typical… you mean "yet another pointless screaming match" that is. Which had sadly become an all too common occurrence in this house. The worst part about it was that it was a rainy Saturday afternoon, so I didn't have any real options for escape until Spyro's designated training time. Which wasn't for another hour.

The topic of the day was the electric bill, apparently according to dad it was mom's fault for insisting on keeping the AC on all week. Mom however argued it was because he always had to have the TV on. Honestly I just think the two wanted any excuse they could find to scream their lungs out at one another.

I just sat at the top of the stairs, trying not to lose my mind. Their argument was getting more and more heated with every passing moment, it wouldn't be long before it got out of hand. "I'm the one who has to pay the bills Lauren!" screamed dad, "It's almost October, we should have put that AC in storage weeks ago!" he continued to yell.

"Well excuse **me** that New Harmony's weather hasn't caught up with the season yet Harry!" Mom fired back. I don't know how much more of this I can take, these two were ready to come to blows over a stupid electric bill! Why can't they just stop fighting? For once I'd like a day to go by without another stupid argument over things that don't even really matter!

The two just kept going back and forth, every word they yelled began to slowly chip away at my sanity little by little until eventually… I couldn't take it anymore. "I'm going out!" I snapped before heading downstairs.

Mom quickly got in my way, "It's raining cats and dogs out there Kevin! You'll get soaked!" she argued.

"Maybe he's just sick of dealing with your toxic attitude!" snapped my dad. Oh no… come on… not like this! Them arguing over things like the electric bill were one thing, but actually **being** the topic of one of their screaming matches was more than I was willing to take.

I grabbed a blue hoodie from the coat rack as my parents continued to yell at each other over who was causing me more stress. I just wanted to get out of here, I just wanted to go somewhere with at least a modicum of peace and quiet. I didn't even care if they noticed me leave or not, let them tear each other apart… as long as I'm not there to witness it…

I began to walk through the rainy streets, I didn't even really care how wet I was getting, anything was better than listening to my family fall apart. I still had no clue why they suddenly went from normal loving parents to wanting to tear each other's heads off. I don't know if it was something they ate or they just suddenly got really sick of each other, but either way… I was caught in the middle… helpless to stop the fighting.

A part of me was hoping Malefor would sick a group of Grublins on me, either so I could get some catharsis from beating the crap out of them, or for them to finally end my suffering. Whichever came first I welcomed it.

Anything to escape this fresh hell I had to put up with every night and day. "_Perhaps you should tell them how they're making you feel? Any good parent would listen,_" suggested my mystical dragon companion Cyril. Over the past few days I've actually gotten used to having him around.

But Cyril didn't understand the situation as well as I did, I knew just talking to them about it would probably only make things worse. They'd probably blame each other for my feelings just like they did back at the house. "_This kind of defeatist attitude isn't exactly becoming of a protector of earth Kevin," _said Cyril.

Cyril really sucked at pep talks. He was about as blunt as an atom bomb and every bit as comforting. "_I'm just saying, how can you hope to confront Malefor if you're too frightened to confront your own parents about their incessant arguing?_" Cyril said.

Cyril, for all his bluntness, kinda had a point there. How could I expect to save the world if I couldn't even talk to my own parents? But it wasn't that simple, the last thing I wanted was to say the wrong thing and make things ten times worse. It was safer just to ride the storm and hope for the best.

After a bit of walking my phone went off, it was the alarm I set to let me know when it was time to warp back to the Dragon Temple for training. Maybe some ice drills will help get my mind off of all this drama? I pressed two buttons on my morpher and found myself engulfed in a blue light before teleporting to the temple…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Malefor…**_

* * *

I sat alone in the main chamber of the mountain, contemplating everything that's happening right now. Spyro's little Power Rangers have survived two attacks so far. I grew weary of these so called "heroes" trying to stop me from achieving my destiny.

I couldn't allow this to happen again, I will not be denied my true destiny for a **third** time! I would destroy these fools myself but I was still weak from my fifty year confinement. For now, I would have to rely on Rikor's moronic creations. "Rikor! Tell me your next monster is ready!" I yelled.

Rikor came scampering in, a sculpture of some kind of bat creature cradled in his hands. "I have just the thing to end those pesky Power Rangers Lord Malefor!" he said. "Meet Dread Bat! His sonic scream will drive those Power Rangers absolutely batty!" he said. I tried not to be annoyed by his pun.

"I want it sent to the city, with orders to destroy everything in sight… I've already lost twice to these Power Rangers… they will not beat me a third time," I said. Rikor left to do as I asked, I do hope you haven't grown too attached to your new pet Power Rangers Spyro, because they're about to learn what happens to those who defy me.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Dragon Temple…**_

_**Kevin Naton…**_

* * *

Spyro had us all gathered in what he called the "Dragon Dojo", having us all morph before standing in a line waiting for what would be our first real training session. We were **supposed** to do this yesterday, but Drill Face kinda nixed those plans.

Spyro stood opposite to us, ready to begin our training. "You four have had two victories against Malefor and his forces so far, an impressive feat considering your lack of proper training," he began. "However, if there's one thing I've learned over the years, is that you should never let past victories go to your head, you may get stronger but so will your enemy, **that** is why I want you four to start training, to familiarize yourselves with your elements and your weapons," he said.

While Spyro was talking, my mind found itself drifting back to my issues at home. I wanted to focus on training, if anything to stop thinking about my parents. But my mind refused to allow itself to focus on anything but my parents. I wonder if they've even realized I left? They're probably **still** too caught up in their stupid argument to notice their only son had slipped out under their noses-

"KEVIN!"

I jumped at the sound of Spyro barking my name. Apparently Spyro had noticed how lost in my own thoughts I had become. Spyro marched himself over to me with a very unimpressed look on his face. "You may not take this training seriously, but **I** do, whatever is on your mind will just have to wait until **after** we're done here today, is that understood?" he asked me.

"Y… Yes sir," I said.

Satisfied, Spyro moved back to the other end of the room. "Today we're going to focus on crowd control, Malefor loves the numbers game, and will send as many grublins after you as he can conjure, I want you all to practice fighting multiple opponents," he said before he moved his wing, revealing what appeared to be a bunch of sticks and hay bound in a potato sack. Upon further inspection, it seemed these objects were done up to resemble humanoid creatures of some fashion… some sort of training dummies from what I could gather.

Out of nowhere the dummies came to life, catching all four of us off guard. "Did anyone else know he could do that?" asked Dean. It was mere seconds before the horde of animated dummies reached us and the fight began.

One of the dummies launched itself at me, me too surprised to react, I got tackled to the ground. I managed to throw it off eventually but three of it's buddies quickly capitalized and began throwing wild punches at me. I tried my best to keep up but I was finding it kind of hard to focus, the leftover stress from earlier today just refused to leave my mind for some reason.

The dummies began actually landing shots now, each one felt like getting smacked with a wooden bat. "_Focus Kevin! You're better than this!"_ Cyril said. You're not helping Cyril! In fact you're making it worse!

Eventually the dummies began to pile on me, until eventually they suddenly just lost all life and fell limply to the ground. "That's enough!" I heard Spyro say as I moved the dummies off my person. "Kevin, you and I need to talk, the rest of you, keep practicing," Spyro said.

Oh boy, I'm in the doghouse now. I could already tell Spyro was upset with me just from the look he was giving me. I took off my helmet as I followed the purple dragon out of the room.

Once we were out of the room, "Okay, what's bothering you?" he asked me.

My home situation wasn't exactly something I liked talking about, to be honest, I was **embarrassed** by it. "Nothing… nothing's wrong," I lied, hoping he'd buy it and let me go.

But… of course, "Don't lie to me Kevin, you're one of the team's strongest fighters, it's not like you to get overwhelmed by training dummies of all things," he said. "Kevin… it's obvious something's on your mind, you're unfocused… and in the battlefield, that can get you killed, please… let me help you… tell me what's wrong," he said.

Spyro seemed legitimately concerned, we barely knew each other but he was talking like a concerned parent. I wanted to just avoid the conversation all together… but something in me refused to allow myself to be silent. "It's my parents," I finally confessed, "They've been arguing a lot lately… and it's only getting worse," I said as I looked into my reflection in my helmet's visor, seeing how much of a hot mess I looked like right now. "I'm… I dunno… worried it might be **my** fault," I confessed.

Spyro placed a large purple paw on my shoulder, "Kevin, I highly doubt what's happening with your parents has anything to do with what **you** did," he told me. "Sometimes parents just… fall out of love… it happens," he told me. "Maybe you should tell them how their fighting is making you feel? If they love you, they'll listen," he added, piratically echoing what Cyril had said before.

I shook my head, "You don't know them like I do, they'll probably just use it as another excuse to argue," I said.

"How can you know that for sure if you never even try?" Spyro asked me. "While it's true that it's a parent's job to raise their kids… sometimes the child needs to be the one to do the parenting and put their _parents_ on the right path," he added. Thanks for the fortune cookie wisdom Spyro, but I doubt anything is going to bring peace to the Naton household.

I then noticed out of the corner of my eye that Spyro's Pool of Visions was bubbling. Spyro sighed, "Well continue this conversation later, it seems Malefor has decided to attack the city again," he said.

I put my helmet back on as I contemplated Spyro's words. Would talking to them really help end this whole nightmare? Or would it simply add fuel to the fire? I didn't really know… but right now… I had bigger problems to deal with. I saw the other rangers rush out of the dojo, me following closely behind.

* * *

_**Later…**_

_**Grey's National Park…**_

_**Kevin Naton…**_

* * *

We all arrived at the park to see a bunch of panicked citizens fleeing in terror from what seemed to be a really ugly bat wearing what looked to be spiked football pads and a loincloth. "How does Malefor _find_ these things?" I asked myself before joining my fellow rangers.

Dylan quickly took point, "Hold it right there monster!" he said.

The bat turned around, "Finally! I was starting to worry you Rangers wouldn't show up!" he said in a strange high pitched voice. God… it was kind of annoying too… like nails on a chalkboard. "I am Dread Bat! And I'm about to rock your world!" he said before he suddenly, out of nowhere unleashed a horrible wail.

Okay I take my earlier comment back, **this** was like nails on a chalkboard! The shock wave from the scream was so loud it sent all four of us flying back. The impact from hitting the ground knocked the wind right out of my lungs. I coughed and sputtered as I tried to get back up.

The bat monster, Dread Bat, began to cackle as he slowly trudged towards us. "How's **that** for bringing the noise?" he laughed. God we've got ourselves another punny monster. I quickly got back up, man… of all the monsters Malefor could have made today, it **had** to be one that yelled right? As if I hadn't had enough of **that** today. "Come on Blue Ranger! You think you can take **me** on? You're even battier than **me**!" the monster giggled.

I threw the strongest kick I could muster right to the monster's skull, it spun around but used the momentum for a slash with his right wing which caught me across the chest. The impact caused me to spin in the air as sparks erupted from the wound like Fourth of July sparkler.

I fell face first into the wet grass, I'm pretty sure my helmet is covered in mud now… fantastic. The bat continued to giggle like a schoolgirl, "That all ya got little blue? I thought you Power Rangers were supposed to be tough?" mocked the bat monster.

I can't believe I'm about to get my butt kicked by a pun spewing bat monster. "One close range scream from me and you'll never hear again!" the monster said. And now I was going to go deaf, did I kick puppies in a past life or something? What did I do to deserve _this_?

"Think again fang face!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere Dean and slashed the monster from behind with his ax. Sparks exploded out of the monster as it fell to the ground. I looked to see Dean offering me a hand, which I took, allowing him to pull me back to my feet. Dean then turned to the monster, "You forgot you had **four** of us to fight you overgrown flying rat?" Dean said.

Dylan and Jess quickly joined by our side. "You can't take all four of us at once," Dylan said. "Why don't you cut your losses and just give up?" he added.

The bat quickly got up, "Oh no! I'm so scared I could **scream**!" the bat said before unleashing another ear piercing wail that once again sent us flying right back on our rears.

Jess struggled to get up, "It's no use, we can't hit him if he keeps knocking us back with that sonic scream of his!" Jess said.

Dean nodded, "We need to find a way to shut that ugly mouth of his," he said. Yeah no kidding, as long as he's able to use that big mouth of his, we'll never be able to… wait! That's it!

I then suddenly got an idea, "Yo big mouth!" I said as I got up, "Bet you can't knock me down again!" I challenged him.

The bat laughed, "You serious? Watch," he said. The monster was too cocky to call my bluff, I **knew** he could knock me back down with his sonic wail, I was **counting** on it.

I waited for the exact moment he opened his gaping maw wide before striking. "_**Elemental Power! Frozen Wind!"**_ I called before a jet stream of frozen air shot from my outstretched hand and right at the monster's face. His gaping maw was soon filled with a comically large chunk of ice. "You've said a mouthful," I quipped.

The monster began to choke and gurgle as it uselessly tried to get the giant ice chunk out of his mouth to no avail. "Lance of Ice!" I called, summoning my signature weapon. "Time to shut you up for good!" I said before lunging at the monster. "_**Elemental Power! Frozen Slash!**_" I called before slashing the monster repeatedly, the blades of my lance freezing the monster more and more on each impact until it was completely frozen.

I struck a dramatic pose as the frozen monster fell over, exploding into a fireball upon impact for reasons unknown. The other rangers quickly ran to my side. "That was awesome!" Dean exclaimed.

Dylan put a hand on my shoulder, "That was quick thinking Kev, I'm impressed," he said. However congratulations would have to wait, as we heard the sounds of glass breaking. We turned to see Dread Bat was back, and this time he was titan sized.

Oh great, here we go again.

"_**We need Dragon Zord power NOW!"**_

You know, as cool as piloting a giant dragon robot is. Would it really be too much to ask the monsters to just **stay** dead? Whatever, I hopped into the cockpit of my zord and we all got ready to combine them into the MegaZord.

"_**Dragon's Roar!" Zords combine!"**_

As the MegaZord formed, I couldn't help but ponder my home situation again. Thinking about it, if I can take down a giant bat monster like I did… is talking to my mom and dad really that intimidating? Maybe Cyril and Spyro are right… maybe I **should** just nut up and _talk_ to them?

My chair rose into the cockpit of the MegaZord, telling me it was time to set aside my own personal woes and focus on the task at hand. Taking out this stupid bat once and for all!

"_**Dragon's Roar MegaZord! READY!"**_

"Alright guys, let's shut this guy up for good!" said Dylan as the MegaZord slowly lumbered towards the monster.

Dread Bat didn't seem intimidated, just gleefully dancing around like an idiot. "Hehe! Come on Rangers, and hear my cry!" he said before unleashing another sonic wail.

It didn't knock the MegaZord down like it did us, no it did something **far** worse. I guess the soundwaves were so intense it overloaded the MegaZords systems. As they began to spark and burst right in our stupid faces. Ya know, it was moments like these that made me thankful our Power Ranger suits came with helmets that had visors.

Jess began to frantically look over her controls, "Dread Bat's scream overloaded my control panel, I'm getting no response from the controls!" Jess said. Oh that wasn't good, Jess' zord was the right leg, we kinda needed that to walk!

Dread Bat wasted **no** time in capitalizing on our current power issue, slashing the MegaZord repeatedly with his wings. "HAHA! Looks like your MegaZord can't face the _music_ Rangers!" DreadBat cackled as he continued to brutally lay into the giant robot.

Dean was struggling just to keep from flying out of his chair. "We can't survive much longer like this! Does **anyone** still have control of their part of the MegaZord? My controls are dead!" Dean said.

I looked to my controls, the lights were still flashing so I assumed they were working. Not **exactly** much help since I only controlled the left leg. "I've got power, but I don't know how much use one leg will be," I said. Come on Kevin, you can handle this… if you don't figure out a game plan here the MegaZord is toast, and **you** along with it.

I looked for anything that could help, then… out of nowhere… it clicked. "Guys! What if I divert power to Dean's parts? That way we can summon the Mega Sword and end this," I suggested.

Dylan turned to me, "Do it, we need those arms up and running!" he said. I nodded and went to work, diverting as much power as I could spare to Dean's controls.

"It worked!" Dead exclaimed just as the lights on my control panel went dead. God I hope I made the right call, we were completely immobile now.

"_**Dragon's Roar, Summon Mega Sword!"**_ Called out Dylan. In an instant the giant sword fell from the sky and right into the MegaZords waiting hand.

"Uh oh," Dread Bat gulped.

"_**Mega Sword! Aether Charge!"**_

The sword began to surge with Aether energy, the MegaZord holding it high above its head, ready for the killing stroke. The bat wasn't quick enough to dodge the massive blade, finding itself cut right down the middle.

The bat fell limply to the ground before exploding like a hand grenade. Another monster slain… another battle won. And one last fight to go…

* * *

_**Later That Day…**_

_**Naton Household…**_

_**Kevin Naton…**_

* * *

I felt nervous approaching my house again, I could still hear my parent's arguing from outside. I felt like I was about to try to diffuse a bomb. "_It will be fine Kevin, you're strong, you can do this,"_ said Cyril, trying to give me some confidence. With a deep breath, I reached my hand towards the doorknob and turned it.

"I told you, we need to cut back on our phone plan!" My dad yelled.

"And I told **you** if we want to save money, we need to reconsider our cable package!" Mom fired back.

I tried to build up as much courage as I could, steeling myself before finally putting my foot down. "Mom! Dad! We need to talk, NOW!" I roared. The two stopped dead in their tracks… from the looks on their faces they probably didn't even know I was **there** until now. "You've gotta stop fighting like this, it's getting out of control and… and it's scaring me," I said.

The two slowly sat themselves on the couch, completely stunned. As if the idea their arguing was bothering me never even crossed their minds. "You're my parents, and I love you both so much… it's killing me seeing you two at each other's throats every day and night… please… can we just talk things out like a family instead of screaming at each other like maniacs?" I pleaded with them as I sat down on the couch with them.

Mom placed her hand on mine, "Sweetie… we… we had no idea… why didn't you **say** anything?" she asked.

I sighed, "Because I was afraid if I did it would make things worse," I admitted. "I was scared that part of this was my fault, and by bringing it up… I'd only be pouring gas on the fire," I added.

Dad lowered his head, "Son… none of this is your fault… your mom and I… we may yell at one another… but we still love you… you should have said something," he told me.

"I know that now," I said, "I guess I just needed someone else to tell me to take the risk," I added.

Mom and Dad looked to one another, "I do think it's time we **did** talk things out for once… as a family," dad said.

That's all I wanted… I guess Spyro and Cyril were right… they loved me… so they understood how their arguing was making me feel… hopefully… I can bring peace to our home once more…

* * *

**A/N: Will Kevin be able to bring peace to his family? What plan will Malefor cook up for our heroes next? Will Foowd actually release a chapter on time instead of getting wrapped up in Patriots football again? Stay tuned!**


	10. The Color of Cowardice

**Chapter 9: The Color of Cowardice**

* * *

_**Fox Residence...**_

_**Jessica Fox…**_

* * *

I was never the bravest of souls. I always used to be that girl who jumped at her own shadow. Being ostracized by my peers had only served to worsen my anxiety. Getting myself to get out of bed and face another day was hard for me, what waited for me? Another chance to be tormented by Veronica and her cronies? Things only seemed to be even worse now that I was a Power Ranger, tasked with keeping an evil dragon from destroying the very world I felt so afraid of. I still didn't understand why I of all people was chosen to dawn the guise of the Yellow Ranger. I wasn't a fighter like Kevin and Dylan, I wasn't an athlete like Dean, sometimes I felt like Spyro only chose me because I happened to be with Dean at the time.

As I got out of my bed to brace myself for another day, I looked myself over in the mirror, a t-shirt two sizes too big for me serving and a pair of yellow plaid pajama pants adorned my person. My hair was yet to be done up in it's typical ponytail. I still had my morpher strapped around my wrist. Ever since acquiring it, I refused to remove it, seeing it as some kind of security blanket or something to that effect.

I took the spirit gem off my nightstand and jammed it into its slot on my morpher. "Dragon's Roar, Ranger Form, Electricity," I said in a slight monotone. Within seconds I took on my alter ego, the Dragon's Roar Yellow Ranger. The differences I felt were like night and day, as the Yellow Ranger I felt so much stronger, so much more in control, a far cry from my normal anxiety and social awkwardness. It was like being a whole different person, a strong, confident demigoddess capable of defeating even the greatest of evils.

This morphing in front of the mirror had become another standard routine, it was to remind myself that it was all real I guess. A silencing of my inner critic who refused to accept someone like me could become a Power Ranger. Volteer always pointed out that I was too hard on myself, that I was worthy. But this was always how my brain functioned, having an embarrassingly low self esteem always made it hard to accept that I was "worthy" of this incredible power.

I jumped when I heard a knocking on the door, "Jess? Hon it's time to get ready for school," my mom said from the other side of the door. I quickly un-morphed myself, Spyro's rule about keeping my identity as Yellow Ranger a secret playing back in my mind as the tight suit and hard plastic helmet vanished into nothingness, replaced by the same outfit I had on before the transformation.

"I'll be down in a minute," I called back. I quickly went to my dresser to assemble my outfit for the day, as I did so, I chanced a glance at my acoustic guitar. Music has always been a passion of mine, it was the whole reason I took up band in the first place. I had dreams of making it big as a musician, an ironic aspiration for someone who suffered the social anxieties I did. Someday I'd find the courage to pursue that dream… someday.

I gathered my clothes, the usual outfit of a large black and yellow hoodie and blue jeans. I pocketed my Spirit Gem and smartphone, ready to take on the day. As I headed out of my room, I couldn't help but notice the door across from me.

The door to my older brother Ryan's room, at least… it used to be before he left for college about a month ago. The house always felt kind of empty without Ryan's upbeat attitude to lighten the mood of the room. With dad almost always on duty, it was usually just me and mom at home most of the time. Not that I didn't enjoy mom's company, but sometimes… my brother's optimism would rub off onto me… he always had that kind of affect on people. I honestly could use some of that with the fate of the world constantly looming over my head.

I put my brother out of my mind and continued my journey downstairs for a quick breakfast before heading out. I sat at the table, a freshly prepared pop tart placed in front of me by my mom. "Your father's been working himself ragged these past few days, what with all the monster attacks lately," she began. "He tells me the whole department is a madhouse because of it," she added.

It was easy to forget with my new status as a Power Ranger that my dad and his police department were also connected to this whole war on Malefor. The very thought of him having to confront Malefor or Scorn sent a shock wave of anxiety through my heart. "What about the Power Rangers? Aren't they the ones handling the… uh… monster thing?" I asked.

Mom shook her head, "Your father says the chief doesn't trust them, god only knows why, Power Rangers are well known for being heroes," she said with a slight laugh. That **was** kind of odd wasn't it? You'd think Power Rangers would be among the most trusted individuals in the world, but… not in the case of the police chief it seems. I really hope that doesn't end up biting us in the rear at some point.

After a few bites of my breakfast I chanced a look at the microwave's clock, six thirty five, which meant I should probably start headed out. "I should get going, don't want to be late for school," I said as I got up out of my chair.

Mom turned to me, "Okay sweetie, have a good day, I love you," she said as I left.

"Love you too mom," I said as I exited the house and began my trek to school.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

Another miserable failure against the rangers had seemingly brought Malefor's blood to a boil. He wasn't taking defeat well and I fear how many failures we have left before Malefor decides to take his anger out on Rikor or myself. Currently he paced back and forth, trying to think of another plan of attack.

"M… Maybe I can make another monster?" Rikor suggested.

Malefor turned to Rikor with an intense, hateful stare. "NO! No more of your worthless monsters! These Power Rangers are making me look like a fool and I **won't** have it!" he snapped.

"P… Perhaps I can try again Lord Malefor?" I suggested. "I know what to expect from them this time… if I just-" I began before Malefor slammed his paw on the ground in anger.

"You **had** your chance Scorn and you failed," Malefor snarled. I tried my best to hide my fear. Malefor was **not** the kind of dragon you wanted to anger, not if you wanted to **live**. "You walk upon thin ice wolf mage, do not give me a reason to snuff out your worthless life," he threatened me.

I needed to salvage this somehow, or I wouldn't have a **head** by the end of the day. "What if I were able to uncover the Power Ranger's human identities?" I suggested. It was a long shot, but it was all I had.

Malefor went to chew me out once again, but stopped himself as he **really** began to think about my suggestion. "Yes… if we knew who it was under those helmets… we could strike them when they're most vulnerable… very well Scorn… but know that you are a hair's length from losing my favor… screw this up… and you'll regret it," he warned me.

With a nervous gulp and a quick bow, I went to make preparations. I was fully aware this could be my last chance… I **will not** fail.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**New Harmony High School…**_

_**Jessica Fox…**_

* * *

This morning seemed to be going along with little deviation from the usual routine. I managed to walk to school with time to spare, and made it to my locker without incident. So far so good…

"Hey Jess,"

I cringed a little as I heard the voice of one of my fellow rangers, Dylan. I still haven't really… erm… "adjusted" to him or Kevin yet. So I wasn't exactly comfortable talking to him. "Kevin and I were thinking we might want to start hanging out more, with us being… well… ya know," he said. I knew Dylan was probably right, it would be best if all four of us knew each other as well as we possibly could considering we would be fighting alongside one another. But… making friends has never been my strong suit.

I was about to say as much, but… of course… things had to get worse. "Look what we have here ladies, Fox has found herself another little boyfriend," said the voice of Veronica Stone. Saving her life during the grublin attack had done **nothing** to quell her ceaseless hatred of me. "And here I thought a lowly little troll like you couldn't **pay** someone to be your friend… although… I doubt Foutler of all people is above being a "friend for hire"," Veronica mused.

I chanced a look at Dylan, being fully aware of his anger issues. I could see the fires burning in his eyes. "What's **that** supposed to mean?" Dylan protested.

Oh no… I can't let this happen, Veronica is **my** problem not Dylan's! "Dylan don't," I said.

Veronica chuckled at this, "Oh trust me hon, he was doomed the second he chose to **tolerate** you," she said. "Oh and by the way..." she added before taking the ice coffee in her hand and dumping it right on my head. The sudden rush of cold caused me to tense up as the liquid poured over my head. "There, now you look as terrible as you are at being human," she giggled.

That did it! Dylan was furious now, "HEY!" he yelled as he shoved Veronica back. "Why don't you try that on me Stone? See what happens!" he snarled.

Veronica sounded with a small, amused snort. "Please, you're **Roth's** punching bag not mine, but I should give you a little friendly advice… ditch Fox, she'll only drag down your already laughable social standings," she said before flicking her hair and walking off with her goons.

I can't believe that just happened in front of my own teammate! Why? Why can't Veronica just find a new hobby instead of trying to ruin my whole existence?! Things got even worse when I saw Dean and Kevin approach. "Whoa! What happened to Jess?" asked Kevin.

"Veronica Stone," Dylan snarled. "She dumped her ice coffee right on her head!" he added.

Dean was quick to fawn over me not unlike a fussy mother, "You alright Jess? Come on, let's get you cleaned up," he offered. But I just shook my head, I just wanted to be alone right now. Too embarrassed to even face my fellow Power Rangers right now.

"Leave me alone!" I cried before I ran off, leaving the three boys very confused and worried no doubt. I darted right into the bathroom, slamming the door shut right behind me.

Every day Veronica finds **some** way to ruin my life. I could face down horrific monsters and deranged wolf mages, but for some reason this **one** girl still managed to get the better of me. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and die, she humiliated me right in front of Dylan! The guy who was supposed to be my **leader… **no doubt his respect for me did a nose dive after seeing me just stand there and take it like a coward… how fitting it was that I was the **yellow** ranger, the color of cowardice…

"_Jessica that is a __**bit**_ _harsh! I doubt Dylan's opinion was at all altered by that… pompous, odious, unpleasant she witch Veronica, you must have more faith in your friends than __**that,**_" Volteer said.

I wanted to believe that, that I was just letting my self loathing get the better of me. But I knew better, Veronica tormented me because she knew I was too much of a coward to fight back. I slumped against the bathroom door, slowly sliding down until I found myself in the fetal position. "_You're a lot braver than you give yourself credit for Jessica,_" Volteer told me, "_You just need to believe it yourself,_" he added.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Outside of the School…**_

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

If I was going to accomplish this mission, I needed to avoid attracting unneeded attention to myself. As tempting as it was to tear this worthless primates apart, I needed to stay my blade for now. I knew the Power Rangers attended this school, they sounded young enough to be students here, and it just **felt** right.

The problem was trying to discern which of these pitiful humans were the ones I sought. "At least one of these sniveling man pups has to be a Power Ranger… but which one," I said to myself.

"Excuse me sir,"

My ears perked up, I turned to find a rather portly looking human in some kind of tan and brown uniform staring down at me from behind a pair of dark glasses. "Do you have a guest pass?" he asked me.

I slowly stood up, "Guest Pass?" I asked, not sure if this dolt was serious or not.

"You need a guest pass to be on this property during school hours sir, and considering you're wearing that ridiculous costume, I'm assuming you don't **have** one," he said.

This human **dares** insult me?! I drew my sword and pointed it right at his flabby throat. "I am Scorn Dreadfang! Head of the Order of Malefor and feared sword mage, I do not need a "guest pass"!" I growled.

The human was clearly panicking, I presumed from the questions he was asking me that he was meant to be some kind of guard. How foolish of this school to employ such a weak willed man to protect their pups. "Sir… I-I'm going to have to ask you to put down the sword sir," the guard said. Was he serious? Why would I **ever** do that? "I- I have mace!" he said, producing some kind of small plastic object from his pocket.

I raised an eyebrow, "Is that supposed to be some kind of weapon, primate?" I asked. "If you wish to keep your head, you will tell me all you know about the Power Rangers," I snarled. If I was going to waste my valuable time with this fool, I was at **least** going to get some information out of him.

"You asked for it dirtbag!" The guard said before pressing down the top of his tiny weapon. Some kind of mist spewed from the device, horrifically stinging my eyes the second it came into contact with them.

"AGH! You FOOL! You **dare **challenge me?!" I snarled as I blindly swatted at the air. This human will **die** for his insolence!

The guard laughed, "HA! How do ya like **them** apples furball?" the guard said. "Now come on, let's get you off campus before I have to call the cops," he said. The guard made the fatal error of grabbing me by the arm, letting me know exactly where he was.

"_**KOTUS AKTEM!**_" I called, casting a spell on him. As my vision returned, I saw that my spell had worked and he had been reduced to a small frog in a pile of clothes he was once wearing. The guard croaked before hopping away in haste. He would revert back to a human in a few hours, more than enough time to accomplish my mission.

I dusted myself off, "I warned you not to challenge me human, be thankful I'm trying to keep a low profile, otherwise I would have taken your head," I snarled before putting my hood on. "Now back to the task at hand," I said before making my leave, making a mental note to try harder not to be spotted from now on.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Chemistry Class…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

It had been about an hour since Jess' freak out and I still couldn't get over what happened. I mean, Jake Roth is a grade a psycho, but even **he** had more class than to just up and dump his coffee on my head! Poor Jess was probably still in the bathroom, too ashamed to show her face.

"Dylan? Dude, earth to Dylan!" Kevin said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "This is supposed to be a **team** assignment, team as in, I don't mix these chemicals by myself," Kevin said.

I looked to the beaker in front of me, the liquid inside was an unnaturally bright blue color… is that normal? "Uh… sorry… I just… I can't get over what Veronica did to Jess is all, you think she'll be alright?" I asked.

Kevin shook his head, "Your guess is as good as mine dude," he said as he used a pair of tongs to grasp a small beaker full of green chemicals, "Jess isn't exactly made of iron after all," he said.

I sighed, "That's why I'm so worried, I mean… you should have seen how cold Veronica was as she dumped that coffee on her head, she was like a Bond villain or something," I explained.

Kevin carefully poured the blue liquid into the large beaker, "Tell me about it, that Veronica Stone is a real piece of work," he said, "I heard a rumor she pushed Jenna Marsh down the stairs when she heard she might take her spot on the cheer squad," he added as the liquid inside the beaker began to bubble. "There's nothing **we** can really do about it, Jess kinda has to be the one to put her foot down and stand up for herself, all **we** can do is try to be as supportive as we can," he said.

Kevin was sadly kinda right, all I would have accomplished by taking her down a peg myself was making Jess look weaker than she already did. But with how timid Jess was, who **knows** when that will happen… if at all.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Outside the School…**_

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

It seems that their classes were in session, as I seemed to be the only one outside at the moment. I decided to try peering into each window, to see if I could find any signs of those who might be the Power Rangers. I didn't know how **exactly** I'd find one of them, but I knew failure meant suffering the wrath of Malefor… so I was motivated to say the least.

I peered into one of the windows, inside was clearly some form of library. I could see several humans inside reading books or writing on paper. My mind mused at the idea of primates being able to learn… if humans were anything like the apes then I was astonished they were even **capable** of reading.

However my musings quickly ended when I noticed one of the humans had something on their wrist. A black device with a yellow decal on it. Upon further inspection I saw it was the crest of the electric dragons! That had to be the device they use to transform! "Gotcha," I said.

I tried to get a better look at the human wearing it, but they were concealed in a black hood, and the room wasn't well lit enough for me to make out their shape. I would have to confront the ranger inside.

At least I'd have the **yellow** ranger's identity by day's end…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Inside…**_

_**Jessica Fox…**_

* * *

I really shouldn't be wearing this hoodie, it reeked of Starbucks coffee and humiliation. But I wanted to hide myself as much as I can right now, hoping to just fade into the background unnoticed. Thank god I had study hall at the beginning of the day… otherwise I probably wouldn't be able to get away with this.

"Excuse me,"

I looked up to see the librarian looming over me, "You know school policy, hoods **down**," she hissed.

Reluctantly, I complied, rolling down my hood. Satisfied, the teacher walked back to her desk. I took off my hoodie, if I couldn't use it to hide myself, there was no point in suffering through wearing a wet, sticky sweatshirt that smelled like cheap coffee.

However, the second I sat the hoodie against the chair, the door suddenly swung open. My eyes went so wide they nearly fell out of my skull when I noticed who it was. Scorn!

What was he doing here? "Humans! I know the Yellow Ranger is among you! Reveal her to me and I shall spare your worthless lives!" he bellowed. No one in the room knew what to make of this, just giving Scorn confused looks. "I see I need to do a little **convincing**," he said before he held his sword over his head.

The runes on the blade began to glow bright before lightening burst from the sword, sending everyone in the library into a panic. "That's better," he said with a satisfied smirk, "Now then, I know I saw the Yellow Ranger's morpher through the window, so I know she is also among us… wherever you are Yellow Ranger, know that I will kill **every** human in this library until you reveal yourself to me," he threatened.

Oh god… what do I do? If I morph I'll reveal myself to not only Scorn, but everyone in the library as well! But I can't let him kill innocent people either. I have to hide myself so I can morph out of sight. I slowly got out of my chair, seeing that Scorn's back was turned to me. I slowly tried to sneak myself behind a bookshelf.

However Scorn suddenly turned himself around. In a flash he quickly pounced on me. His paws pinning me to the ground as he loomed over me. "And where do we think **we're** going man pup?" he asked me. "Why… if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to escape! But we wouldn't do that… would we?" he taunted me before his eyes suddenly went wide, "Or perhaps… you were trying to sneak off to morph… Yellow Ranger?" he suggested.

I began to panic, if he finds out who I am, I'll lose my powers! Not only that, but my family would become targets! Oh god… what do I do? I… I can't fight him unmorphed! I'm not strong enough!

Scorn quickly grabbed me by the neck and slammed me against a bookcase. Several books fell from their place as the bookcase was rocked slightly by the impact. I happened to be wearing a long sleeve t-shirt right now, so with a subtle movement of my hand I quickly hid my morpher under my sleeve. "Yes… cry and shiver like a scolded pup… you're right to fear me human, I can do such **horrible** things to you," he said. As if to emphasize his point, his free hand began to glow with a green aura. "So if you do not wish to suffer my wrath, you'll reveal the Yellow Ranger to me, one way or another," he said.

God I feel so helpless right now! I can't fight Scorn unmorphed! I can't fight him as weak, pathetic Jessica Fox! But I can't morph without exposing my secret to the world and losing my powers forever! Spyro made such a mistake choosing someone as weak and frail as me to be his Yellow Ranger…

"_Jessica get a hold of yourself!"_ Snapped Volteer, "_You are not weak! You need to trust yourself! Just this once! Stand up for yourself!"_ Volteer pleaded. Was Volteer right? Could I really stand up for myself? Did I really have that in me?

Scorn bore his fangs as he laughed, "Clock is ticking little human, you'd best hope the Yellow Ranger gives in, otherwise I can't guarantee your safety," he said with a dry laugh.

I can't let it end like this! I can't doom the world because I'm too afraid to stand up for myself! Just this once Jess… just this once be the hero instead of the victim. The others aren't coming to bail me out this time, I had to do this myself. With all the strength I could muster, I cocked my left leg back, and nailed Scorn right between the legs.

Scorn's eyes went so wide I almost expected them to pop out like a cartoon character. He doubled over and coughed, I guess he neglected to wear a cup under all that armor. Taking initiative, I quickly ran away to morph, but Scorn instantly grabbed my leg, causing me to trip.

"You miserable wench!" Scorn snarled, "You aren't getting away that easily! Forget the Yellow Ranger, for what you did… you will **die**!" he roared.

I quickly kicked him in the head over and over again until I managed to get him to lose his grip. There wasn't going to be any morphing here, I'd have to fight him off on my own.

We both slowly rose to our feet, I noticed everyone else had left the library in a panic, so it was just me and Scorn now. "You **have** to be the Yellow Ranger… no ordinary human has **this** much fight in them," Scorn growled.

"You really don't know much about humans do you?" I asked as I took my best approximation of a fighting stance.

Scorn spat to his left, "What's the point of knowing a doomed race?" he said before launching himself at me. Scorn's better fighting experience was on full display, I couldn't even **hope** to keep up with him. Every shot he landed felt like getting pounded by a sledgehammer. "Yellow Ranger or not, I will take **great** pleasure in your death!" he said before landing a huge right hand, knocking me right to the floor.

My back against another bookcase, Scorn slowly began to approach. "Enough games… now you die..." he said as he flashed his claws. I turned to the bookcase, with a quick kick, the books began to fall. I quickly rolled out of the way before the books poured onto Scorn, who howled and growled in disapproval.

Now was my chance! I quickly legged it to the nearest exit, moving as fast as my legs could carry me before finally finding myself alone in the school parking lot. "_**Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form! Electricity!" **_I called out. The sudden rush of power that always came with morphing washed over me as I donned my yellow suit.

Just in time too, as a **very** angry looking Scorn soon emerged from behind a pickup truck. I turned to him, "Word on the street is you're looking for the Yellow Ranger? Well you found her!" I said.

Scorn snarled as he drew his sword, "I was hoping to find that loathsome human… but you'll do!" he said before charging at me.

"_**Bow of Lightning!"**_ I called, summoning my weapon just in time to block a vertical slash from Scorn. I twirled the bow in my hands, slicing into Scorn with the lightning bolt shaped blades on the tips of the weapon. One horizontal slash sent Scorn tumbling across the pavement.

Scorn was quick to his feet again, "I will **not** fail Lord Malefor again! Today you **die** Power Ranger!" he roared before firing lightning from his fingers. Mini explosions erupted all around me, causing me to lose my footing and fall to the ground. "It's just you and me Yellow Ranger, and as an aside, I **really** hope it's that girl I encountered in the library under that helmet… because I'm about to end your pitiful resistance once and for all," he said as he slowly approached.

I quickly got up, "Not this time Scorn," I said as I readied my bow. "I'm **done** being the victim… _**Elemental Power! Thor's Wrath! Final Attack!**_" I called out as I pulled back on the string of my bow. The lightning bolt arrow then formed, far more powerful and brighter than usual, so powerful in fact that lightening bolts started sparking out of it in all directions.

I released the arrow, which zoomed right towards the mad wolf mage, it hit him right in the center mass, electrocuting him like a bug in a bug zapper before he finally collapsed to the ground.

"Jess!"

I turned to see the other three rangers come running onto the scene, they all seemed quite surprised to see Scorn already pretty beaten. "Wow… and here I thought you'd need help," said Dylan.

I stepped forward, readying my bow for another shot. "Give it up Scorn, you couldn't take **me** one on one, you don't stand a chance against all four of us!" I said.

Scorn took a minute to weigh his options, he was clearly hurt, but you had to know that his fear of Malefor and his giant ego were the only things keeping him from committing to a retreat… until eventually… "Fine… you win this time Power Rangers, but mark my words… Malefor **will** destroy you eventually," he said before summoning a portal and vanishing into it.

The other rangers all crowded around me. "I can't believe you actually managed to take on Scorn by yourself Jess!" Kevin commented.

Dean put a hand on my shoulder, "I believe it, Jess is a lot tougher than she lets on," he said. If I weren't wearing a helmet right now they'd probably notice I was blushing right now.

Dylan approached me, "Dean's right Jess, you have it in you to stand up for yourself and you proved it today," he said. Dylan was right, I **did** finally stand up for myself. I wasn't the victim this time… I was the brave hero that stood her ground, even when I couldn't morph I still managed to take on Scorn.

Maybe I was being too hard on myself after all… I'm not a coward… I just needed to believe and trust in myself… I could be a hero… even outside of my ranger suit…

* * *

_**Later…**_

_**After School…**_

_**Jessica Fox…**_

* * *

The rest of the day went by without a hitch, my newfound confidence had really helped change the tempo of my day. For once I got to go through life with my head held high. Now I even got to tell my friends about how I got the better of Scorn unmorphed. "You dropped a bookcase on him? Dude that's brutal!" Commented Dylan.

"Not as brutal as nailing him in the family jewels," Kevin said, taking a hurt groin position as if to emphasize the point. Everyone laughed, including me.

However the laughter instantly stopped when who else but Veronica Stone standing in our way. She had another coffee in her hand, which I have no clue where she even got it from but whatever. "Well well… the Loser's Club adds another member, Foxy must have broken the bank to get **you** to agree to tolerate her, Naton," She said.

"Bite me," Kevin responded.

I said nothing, just marching right over to her. Veronica seemed amused by this. "You got something to say to me Fox? Are you gonna cry?" she mocked me.

"No… but I think your hair needs some work," I said before snatching her coffee right out of her hand. "Here… this should help," I said before pouring it right on her head.

Veronica acted like I had just dumped hot acid on her skin as she cried out and flailed her arms around. Her two flunkies had no clue what to make of this as Veronica whipped around in their direction. "Omigosh! It's all over my new top AND my new shoes!" she whined. What does it say about her that **those** were her biggest concerns right now?

Her two "friends" all huddled around her, trying to comfort her as if she were dying or something. The other rangers and I just laughed as we walked away. "You'll pay for this Fox! You hear me?! PAY!" Veronica called out to us but none of us heeded her.

I wasn't going to be her victim anymore… I'm a hero… and heroes always stand up for themselves…

* * *

**A/N: You know what they say Veronica, Revenge is a dish best served with two creams and extra sugar… I think…**


	11. Hard Rock

**Chapter 10: Hard Rock**

* * *

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

I cannot believe I allowed that human to get the better of me, the embarrassment of a weak, frail creature like her getting the best of a hardened warrior such as myself was unacceptable. I knew deep in the back of my mind that the girl and the sudden appearance of the Yellow Ranger were no coincidence. They were one in the same, I could feel it deep within my gut.

Regardless, I found the defeat humiliating, and refused to show my face to anyone after that pitiful display. My pride was almost completely demolished, I didn't know how to proceed, no matter what we threw at the Power Rangers they always somehow managed to get the upper hand. I've never faced warriors such as them, so strong, so resilient. But every warrior no matter how strong had weaknesses.

"Come on Scorn, it wasn't **so** bad,"

Rikor… what does he want now? "Begone with you Rikor, I'm not in the mood for your antics," I snarled.

Rikor wore a nervous smile on his scaled face, afraid I would attack him no doubt. Which if I were to be honest, I found quite **tempting** right now. "I… I have another monster idea that might work," he said. It was then I noticed the sculpture he held in his hand. It was a rotund creature with some sort of hole in the center of it's stomach. "Meet Abservon! My latest creation!" he said proudly.

I gave Rikor a dry look, "What on earth makes you think another one of your worthless monsters would make my humiliating defeat any easier to cope with?" I asked the lizard mage.

Rikor smiled proudly, "Abservon here can absorb energy and fire it back at it's enemies! Since the Power Rangers are so strong, I figured using that strength **against** them would work," he explained.

Like I had said before, as ridiculous as Rikor's monsters were, they always had a **tactic** to them. This one sounded quite good actually. One of our problems in dealing with these Power Rangers was their raw strength. Using their greatest advantage and turning it right back at them could work, however… "You've made the same promise with previous monsters, what makes you think this one will be different?" I asked him.

Rikor looked over his sculpture again, "His hard, nearly unbreakable shell," he stated. "Abservon can endure any attack the Power Rangers can dish out, even their dragon elements will be useless against it," he explained.

My eyes widened, this kind of attention to detail was **rare** for Rikor. I guess repeated failures against the Power Rangers had forced Rikor to think outside of the box for once. I was actually surprisingly impressed. "Take it to Malefor, with any luck… he'll be in a good enough mood to try it," I ordered Rikor.

I knew better than to get my hopes up however, if I had learned anything about the Power Rangers during our little spat with them, it was how obnoxiously resilient they were…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Dragon Temple…**_

_**Dean Mack…**_

* * *

Being a Power Ranger wasn't really that different than playing football when you really boiled it down to the bare essentials…

We come up with game plans, we practice, then we go out and do our thing. The only real difference was that we had a lot more than a record on the line.

So my routine before Power Ranger practice was no different than that of football practice. Stretch, get loose, get **pumped**. I knew how much was on the line if I didn't succeed, how much was riding on us to win day after day. I couldn't afford to slouch, Malefor sure as hell won't.

"I've noticed you're always the first one to show up,"

Spyro stepped into the room, startling the crap out of me. You wouldn't think a giant purple dragon would be able to sneak up on you like that, but he still managed it. Better play it cool, "I like to be on top of things," I said as I went back to stretching.

Spyro slowly trudged to the left side of the room, "I've noticed, and I appreciate your commitment," he said.

"Coach always says one hundred percent dedication means one hundred percent growth," I said. "You don't have to worry about _me_ falling behind," I added.

Spyro's reaction was not what I expected, you'd think he'd be at least satisfied by my response but instead he seemed… I dunno… worried? It was pretty hard to read Spyro sometimes. "Just remember to pace yourself, you work yourself too hard and you won't be a help to anyone," Spyro warned me.

I kinda chuckled at that, he wasn't wrong but I knew better than to empty my gas tank too early. "I'm good, I know my limits," I said.

The conversation was soon tabled when Kevin arrived to the dojo, he was rocking a McDonald's uniform. "Sorry I'm late… I had work and-" Kevin began before he noticed Spyro and I were the only ones in the room. "Oh… uh… never mind," he said awkwardly.

I don't think Spyro has ever seen Kevin in his work uniform before, something about the way the purple dragon was running those violet eyes up and down Kevin's form. "Kevin… what are you wearing?" he asked.

I couldn't resist giggling a little. Kevin however was less than amused. "The rags of a minimum wage McDonald's employee," Kevin said dryly.

Spyro stood up, "Well, since you two are here early, I think it's time I introduced you to the "Dragon Duel"," he said. Both of us raised an eyebrow as Spyro trudged over to the center of the room. "From time to time, dragon students would be pitted against one another in a duel to test how far they've come in their training," he began to explain. "You see the circle I'm standing in? It isn't just for show… it's the ring I want you two to spar in, the rules are simple, first one to be knocked out of the ring loses," he explained.

Kevin and I looked down at the circle and then to each other. "You serious?" Kevin asked Spyro.

Spyro nodded and then slowly moved out of the circle, "I want you two to do this morphed, since the goal is to demonstrate how far you've come with your powers," he said.

I nodded and headed into the circle, "Come on Kevin, let's do this," I said as Kevin seemed to be quite reluctant to enter the circle with me. "Unless you're scared of course," I added. A good light nature ribbing would get Kevin to suck it up and do what Spyro had asked of us.

Kevin shook his head and stepped into the ring, "Fine, but let's make this a little interesting," he offered, "Loser buys the winner lunch at the place of their choice, deal?" he suggested.

I nodded, "Hope McDonald's pays you well Naton, because you're little rear is **mine**," I said before we both took out our Spirit Gems.

"_**Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form!"**_

"_**Earth!"**_

"_**Ice!"**_

Both of us now in Ranger form, we both looked to Spyro. "BEGIN!" Spyro shouted. Kevin and I both took fighting stances. "Come on blue boy, make the first shot, if you're man enough!" I goaded Kevin.

Kevin quickly began throwing rather impressive looking jumping spin kicks. I just barely managed to get out of the way of each one before rolling myself behind him. "_**Elemental Power! Rock Slide!**_" I called as I dragged my left leg across the floor, my foot digging into the ground and sending a wave of rock and dirt right into Kevin's back sending him mere **inches** towards a ring out.

Man! So close! I had to quickly capitalize if I'm going to get him out of the ring! I leaped through the air, trying to come down with a huge drop kick only to have Kevin block it and flip me onto my back. He tried to catch me with an ax kick while I was on the ground but I managed to roll out of the way just in the nick of time.

However, as I tried to get to my feet. _**"Elemental Power! Frozen Wind!"**_ Suddenly I found myself frozen in place by Kevin's ice attack. Rendered completely immobile and at Kevin's mercy, Kevin quickly kicked my frozen boy, the ice forcing me to slide out of the ring and right into the far wall, which shattered the ice and freed me.

"Kevin wins!" Spyro proclaimed as Kevin crossed his arms.

"So… I'll see you at Mic's Diner at… say… after training?" Kevin said.

God! I can't believe I lost like that! I growled as I slammed my fists against the floor. Why didn't I anticipate that better? I **knew** Kevin had the ability to freeze me but I left myself wide open like an idiot! I took my helmet off and slammed it against the ground. I never liked losing like that, when it was **my** fault for being an idiot. I knew I had to give it m all if I were to ever hope to stop Malefor.

"Whoa Dean, chill out man it's just a training exercise," I heard Kevin say. He probably thought I was mad at **him** instead of myself. I didn't blame Kevin for what happened out there, he just took advantage of a mistake **I** made, I would have done the exact same thing in his position.

I made the decision to leave the room, I was embarrassed, ashamed I let myself get carried away like that. I always prided myself at being my absolute best, putting one hundred percent into everything I did. Slipping up like that was like a punch to the gut, if I had made a mistake like that against Scorn or god help me Malefor, I'd be dead.

"You forgot something,"

I turned to see Spyro holding my helmet, "Dean, Kevin is right, it's just a sparring match, it's nothing to get worked up over," he explained to me as he handed me my helmet. "I haven't exactly won every Dragon Duel **I** took part in either, it's nothing to be ashamed of," he said. He didn't seem to get why I was upset either, thinking I was mad at Kevin and not myself.

"It's not that I lost," I said. "It's **how** I lost, I didn't take Kevin's elemental powers into account and left myself wide open, if I had done that against Malefor… I'd be dead," I explained as I took my helmet from his paws.

However Spyro didn't seem to agree, "Dean, you can't expect yourself to be perfect in every battle, we all make mistakes sometimes, it's all in how you **deal** with those mistakes," he explained.

I just shook my head, "Come on man, you know if that had been Scorn or Malefor I would be dead and you'd be down a ranger, I can't afford to let myself make stupid mistakes like that," I said. Trying to get him to understand why this bothered me like it did. It wasn't about being **perfect**, it was about being as good as I could be.

Spyro sat there for a moment, as if trying to come up with any form of response, "Dean, I appreciate your desire to be your best, but remember what I said before, you work too hard and you won't be a help to anyone… that also goes for **expecting** too much of yourself as well," he said before leaving.

What was **that** supposed to mean? I didn't **expect** too much of myself, I just expected myself to be the best I could possibly be. Isn't it a **good** thing to push yourself to be better?

* * *

_**Later That Day…**_

_**Gray's National Park…**_

_**Dean Mack…**_

* * *

The rest of that day's training had gone by without a hitch after that. I was still trying to wrap my head around what Spyro's problem was. So I was a bit hard on myself, wasn't that how all all stars were? I mean, Tom Brady didn't become the GOAT by settling for being Drew Bledsoe's backup, and I shouldn't settle for being a guy who leaves himself open to being frozen solid.

Speaking of, Kevin and I were on our way to his favorite diner. Since we had made that bet before the sparing match and I was anything if not a man of my word. "Dude would you stop being so mopey? It was just a training match," said Kevin.

He still didn't seem to get why this was bothering me so much. "I'm sorry that I'm not okay with messing up when the world is on the line, imagine if that would have happened in a real fight? I'd be dead," I explained.

Kevin suddenly stopped, "Dude, that's **more** than a **bit** morbid, you seem to be forgetting that you have three other rangers backing you up," he said.

I was about to argue back, however we suddenly heard screams coming from the distance. Kevin and I both looked to each other and nodded. Looks like that lunch is going to be postponed Kevin.

We both ran in the direction of the commotion to find a bunch of innocent park goers fleeing for their lives from some kind of metal ball monster thing. "Where are they? I'll blow those Power Rangers sky high!" the monster said. Looks like Malefor decided to send another monster after us. Kevin and I both looked to each other and nodded. "_**It's Morphin' Time!**_" I said.

"_**Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form!"**_

"_**Earth!"**_

"_**Ice!"**_

Kevin and I both flipped through the air, landing right in front of the monster. "Hold it right there tubby!" Kevin said. Tubby? Really Kevin? That's the best one liner you've got? Whatever…

The monster turned to us, "Finally! I've been lookin' for you Rangers all afternoon, you're two rangers short, but two outta four ain't bad," he said. I was detecting a hint of a New York accent from this guy. **Why** Malefor would make this guy sound like a New York tough guy I have **no** clue but hey… I'm not the evil interdimensional dragon here. "Come on ya mooks! Hit me with your best shot!" he said, slapping his metal body.

Did he seriously just call us "Mooks"? Forget it, take out the monster now, question his choice in vernacular later. Kevin extended his hand, "How about you chill out instead? Elemental Power! Forzen Wind!" he called out.

Just as before, he fired a gust of frosty wind. However, the monster made **no** efforts to dodge it, instead the hole in it's belly opened wide, sucking up Kevin's attack like a vacuum cleaner! "What the?!" Kevin blurted out.

The monster laughed. "Nice try little blue, but whatever you throw at ol' Abservon gets sucked in and bounces right back at ya!" he said before the same frosty blast fired right out of Abservon's belly, Kevin just barely managed to get out of the way before being frozen solid.

Okay, so this monster could suck up our attacks and throw them right back at us? That was going to make attacking him kinda difficult. "Maybe some good ol' blunt force trauma will change your tune?" I said before throwing the hardest kick I could muster. Abservon's metallic body made a very loud clang as my shin erupted into pure agony.

I staggered back as I held my not hurting shin. Abservon laughed once again, "Nice try green boy, but ain't nothin' gonna penetrate _my _shell! Especially not your sissy kicks," Abservon laughed.

You've gotta be kidding me! How are we supposed to attack this loser if everything either bounces off him or gets sucked up and thrown right back at us? "Come on Greeny, don't look so stunned! Not my fault ya don't measure up!" Abservon taunted me.

I summoned my Ax of Earth, "I'll show **you** who doesn't measure up!" I said before spinning myself around, "Elemental Power! Rock Shower!" I called before tiny stalactites began firing from my ax.

However, Abservon just absorbed them like he had Kevin's attack! "Oh! I'm sorry, where those yours? Here, have 'em back!" he said before firing the rocks right back at me!

I couldn't dodge them in time, each rock sliced through my suit like a hot knife through butter, sparks and dust flying everywhere until it became too much for me and I fell to one knee. "HAHA! I really **rocked** your world there didn't I Greenie?" Abservon taunted me.

Man… how are we gonna beat this guy? Can't fight him hand to hand with that metal body of his, can't use our elements or he'll just keep throwing them back at us. There has to be a way!

Kevin and I both backed up, meeting with one another to discuss strategy. "Okay… so we can't hit this thing, and we can't use elements against it, what do we do?" Kevin asked me. Boy, isn't **that** the million dollar question. I began to think it over, hoping to come up with some sort of plan. Until I finally got one, "See if you can get behind him and use your frozen wind again, I'll draw his fire from the front," I whispered to him.

Kevin nodded and began to circle around Abservon, I needed to keep his attention on me so that Kevin could do his thing without having ice fired right back at him. "Hey! You think you're all that don't you? Why don't we see what you can do **without** copying our powers," I challenged him.

Like an idiot, Abservon took the bait. "Oh I'm more than you can handle green boy!" he said before awkwardly jogging towards me. The only way I could describe his stride was like he was a man wearing a bulky costume. But man, did he ever **bring** it in spite of that. His punches were hard and fast, I really had to move just to keep up.

I looked behind Abservon to see Kevin charging up an elemental attack. Abservon was so busy fighting **me** he had no clue Kevin was about to flash freeze him! Kevin did his Frozen Wind motion, although he didn't call it out, probably so Abservon couldn't hear it and absorb the attack. However Abservon suddenly turned around and sucked it up anyway. "HA! Did ya really think I didn't know you were back there blue boy? Thanks for the free attack, now I'm gonna put Greenie here on ice!" he said before turning to me, getting ready to flash freeze me.

"DEAN!"

It happened in an instant, so fast I barely had time to register what happened until it was far too late. Kevin had jumped right into the path of Abservon's attack, sacrificing his body just to save me. Kevin was frozen solid, stiffly bouncing against the ground as he fell. "KEVIN!" I cried out.

Oh no no no no… this can't be happening! Not Kevin! Not like this! Oh man this is all my fault! It was **my** stupid plan and it backfired **big time**. I was horrified! Kevin could be **dead** and it was all my fault! I screwed up! **Again**!

"Dean!"

Dylan and Jess both arrived on the scene already morphed. Jess was the first to notice what had become of the Blue Ranger. "Oh my god! What happened to Kevin?!" She asked.

However I didn't get the chance to answer, "Well Rangers, it's been fun, I think I'll let ya lick your wounds a little before icing the rest of you losers! Later!" Abservon said before disappearing into the forest.

Dylan tried to give chase but stopped at the edge of the forest. He then turned to me, "We should take Kevin back to the temple, Spyro might know what to do," he said. All I could muster for a response was a simple nod and a tepid "uh-huh". I was still upset with myself, this was **my** fault! God I'm such an idiot! I guess this was why Dylan was the Red Ranger and not me… if **this** is how my "brilliant" plans end up…

Poor Kevin… you didn't deserve this…

* * *

_**Later…**_

_**Dragon Temple…**_

_**Dean Mack…**_

* * *

We all took Kevin's frozen body back to the Dragon Temple, all the while the guilt over how I let this happen continued to eat me alive. This was **my** fault, **my** stupid plan! I should have known the monster would notice Kevin moving behind him! And now he could possibly **die** because **I** messed up!

Carrying Kevin through the temple was so hard for me, with every step my guilt worsened. I just knew Spyro was about to scream my head off for possibly getting one of the rangers killed. I always prided myself on giving it my all and trying to be the best I could possibly be. But here I was… a failure… and someone **else** had to pay the price for it.

Spyro was of course surprised to see us back so soon, but when he saw Kevin he instantly understood why we were here. "What happened?" he asked us. He sounded more worried than mad but still had a commanding tone.

I could feel the other ranger's eyes on me even from under their dark visors. I was the only one who really knew what happened, I hadn't the courage to explain what happened to the others. "It was my fault sir," I said, "I… I tried to catch the monster off guard by having Kevin attack it from behind and… well… the monster saw it coming," I explained. I couldn't even will myself to look Spyro in the eyes as I said this, too ashamed of how badly I botched the whole thing.

There was an uncomfortably long silence that followed. It was almost **maddening** how long we just sat there in quiet until **finally** someone chose to break the silence. "Dylan, take Kevin into another room and begin using your fire magic to thaw him out," he ordered Dylan before turning to Jess, "Jessica I suggest you go with him, I want to speak to Dean in private," he added.

Oh man here it comes, Spyro's gonna tear me **apart** for this I just know it. Jess and Dylan both took Kevin into the Dragon Dojo, leaving me alone with the purple dragon. "Look… I know I messed up… you don't have to chew me out for it I already know," I said, hoping to at least cool Spyro's temper a little bit.

However, "Dean that's **not** why I wanted to talk to you," Spyro said. "You did what you had to, it wasn't your fault Kevin got hurt," he said.

I was in disbelief, I was expecting him to verbally annihilate me! Hell I **deserved **it! But yet, he was being so forgiving, **too** forgiving even. "Dude it was **my** stupid plan that got Kevin frozen, I was supposed to distract the guy while he attacked form behind… but the monster saw it coming and now Kevin's paying for **my** mistake," I explained.

"I saw the battle Dean," Spyro said, "Your physical attacks were useless, you tried to play it smart and got unlucky," he said. Spyro seemed to be a little annoyed given the harshness of his tone. "Dean you expect far too much of yourself, you can't beat yourself up over every little mistake you make," he explained to me.

"Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, even legendary purple dragons mess up sometimes it's nothing to be ashamed of, it just makes you like everyone else," Spyro continued to explain to me. "I know you expect to be the best you can be, and that's not a bad thing, but you need to give yourself a little breathing room and accept you can't always be perfect, sometimes… you just have to be good **enough** to get by," he told me.

Spyro then excused himself, claiming he wished to check on how Dylan and Jess were doing. I began to think about what Spyro had just told me, I've always pushed myself to be the absolute best I could possibly be. But… did I really push myself **too** much? Do I really need to give myself some wiggle room? Allow myself to mess up sometimes? It just seemed so antithetical to how I've lived my life up to this point but… in a way… Spyro was kinda right… I wasn't going to beat Abservon by moping around and feeling sorry for myself. I just wish I knew how I **could** beat him though? Every time I threw an attack at him he just sucked it up like a vacuum cleaner-

Wait… that was it! I finally had another plan… but what if it blows up in my face again? But still… I can't let that stop me, who **knows** how many people Abservon is hurting out there. I need to cut myself a break and **trust** myself.

The water of the Pool of Visions began to bubble again, meaning Abservon was back out there causing trouble. Spyro, Jess, and Dylan all came out of the Dojo, "Dylan, Jess, Dean, you go after Abservon, he's attacking the ballpark, I'll take over thawing Kevin out and I'll send him down as soon as he's free," Spyro ordered everyone.

Jess and Dylan both came over to me, "Any ideas how we're going to beat this guy?" Dylan asked me.

"I think I may have an idea… but…" I said before my words suddenly found themselves caught in my throat. I was still pretty reluctant to trust myself, my last plan had failed so spectacularly I was scared Jess and Dylan would wind up paying for my mistake like Kevin did.

However, "Dean, don't worry about it," Dylan told me, "Any plan you have is worth trying, I trust you and so does Jess," he told me, Jess nodding to confirm that Dylan was right. This kind of changed things… if **they** could trust me… why couldn't I trust myself?

I nodded, "Alright, I'll explain it on the way, let's go," I said before all three of us ran off to take down Abservon once and for all…

* * *

_**Later…**_

_**Renco Park, New Harmony…**_

_**Dean Mack…**_

* * *

It didn't take long at all to find the baseball park Abservon was currently attacking. Dude was making a **lot** of noise in there. We entered the ballpark, leaping over the turnstile and forcing our way through the frightened fans as they fled from the monster, I think I even saw some of the players among the crowd.

Once we found ourselves in the stands we finally found Abservon, he was currently firing baseballs from his stomach canon as the players all tried to get clear. "You humans have really struck out this time!" Abservon cackled.

Dylan took point, "Think again Abservon, this game is about to go into extra innings!" he proclaimed before we all leaped onto the field and rushed the monster.

"Remember the plan guys!" I said. Okay Dean, remember… trust yourself. _**"Elemental Power! Rock Wave!"**_ I called out as the attack rushed to make Abservon's acquaintance.

As expected, Abservon absorbed the attack almost instantly. "You never learn do ya Greenie?" he laughed.

"_**Elemental Power! Blazing Slash!"**_ Dylan called as he threw a flame slash at Abservon.

"_**Elemental Power! Lightening Shot!"**_ Jess called out before firing a lightening bolt right at him.

Abservon visibly stumbled as he absorbed both attacks. "What are you three playin' at huh? Ya know I'm just gonna clobber you with this stuff!" he said before getting ready to fire it all back at us.

However Dylan quickly began to set up another elemental attack, he slowly rotated his sword clockwise before his sword became engulfed in flames. _**"Elemental Power! Raging Inferno Slash! Final Attack!"**_ He called out before unleashing a **massive** fire attack!

"_**Elemental Power! Thor's Wrath! Final Attack!"**_ Jess called, unleashing her own ultimate attack.

Now it was up to me to push it over the edge! I dug my hands into the ground beneath me, _**"Elemental Power! Mega Bolder Smash!"**_ I called out before ripping a **huge** bolder out of the ground and tossing it right at him.

All three mega attacks got sucked right into his stomach. "HA! You Power Rangers are all flash and no sub- sub-" he began before belching and making gurgling noises as his belly began to pulsate violently. "Wh-what did you do?! What's going on?!" he asked.

I stepped forward, "It didn't take long to figure it out once I actually got a minute to think it through," I said. Man this was so satisfying, finally getting one over this tool. "You can absorb all of our attacks, but I knew if we kept pouring attack after attack into you you'd just keep absorbing it all and eventually fill yourself up too much," I said. "Face it Abservon, you played yourself," I added before striking a pose.

"You no good-! You tricked me!" he said before he suddenly began to **really** pulsate.

Dylan stepped forward, "One more strike should be enough to pop this balloon me thinks," he said before turning to me. "Care to do the honors?" he asked me.

"Gladly," I said before I began to fold up my ax into "gun mode", like I usually did when we formed the Dragon's Roar Cannon. "Elemental Power! Terra Blast! Final Attack!" I called before the weapon began to hum. Eventually a blast of rock erupted from the barrel and flew right into Abservon's giant gut.

The instant it did I struck a pose and waited for that oh so satisfying "boom" sound. Abservon delivered, exploding into a fiery inferno, finally defeated. I did it, I trusted myself and it worked to perfection. I guess Spyro was right, I just needed to give myself a little room to mess up every now and then.

"Hey guys!"

We all turned to one of the tunnels to see Kevin running up to us. We were all pretty relieved to see Kevin was alright after all. "It seems you guys handled Abservon pretty well without me," he commented.

However no sooner had he said that then we saw a portal open up next to the smoldering crater that was once a monster. Suddenly a potion of some sort was tossed through it, the glass it was contained in smashing on the ground before suddenly Abservon came back and grew to titanic size.

"We probably should have tried to stop that or something," Kevin pointed out.

"_**We need DragonZord power NOW!"**_

"_**Dragon's Roar! Zords Combine!"**_

Man I always loved this part, these zords were so awesome. No matter how many times we form this thing it never seems to lose even a fraction of it's cool factor. With every ranger at their stations and the Dragon's Roar MegaZord formed, we were ready to take down Abservon down once and for all!

"Alright guys, let's take this blowhard down!" Dylan said before the MegaZord made it's way to it's opponent.

"Bring it on Rangers! Your overgrown tin can don't scare **me**!" said Abservon before he rammed his metal body into the MegaZord, forcing it to stumble backwards. The MegaZord tried to answer with a punch but Abservon took it in stride and just backhanded the MegaZord to the ground. "Get that weak sauce outta here!" Abservon said.

Man! It seems Abservon's indestructible body was too much even for the MegaZord to handle! "This is pointless! His hide is too strong we need to think of something else!" Jess said.

I thought about it for a moment, which was a lot harder considering Abservon was knocking the MegaZord around like it owed him money. Then it hit me, "Different verse, same as the first! We overload him with too much energy again!" I said. "How about an Aether super charge? I doubt he could take **that**," I suggested.

Dylan nodded, "Great idea Dean, _**Dragon's Roar! Mega Aether Cannons!"**_ said Dylan. The section of the MegaZord's torso just below the cockpit slowly began to open, revealing several large cannons charged with Aether energy.

Abservon was clearly startled by this. "Whoa hold on there fellas! I can't have Aether, it don't agree with me," he complained. As if we would care about it's dietary needs.

The cannons continued to charge until they were full to busting with Aether energy. We **need** to ask Spyro what Aether ever **is **at some point.

"_**Fire!"**_

The Aether blast went straight at his chest cannon thing. Abservon made a rather unsettling gurgling sound as it filled him to the gills with pure Aether. "Oh man… I think I ate somethin' bad!" Abservon whined as he fell to the ground. The MegaZord turned around for a dramatic pose as the monster exploded into a fiery inferno.

Another monster down and another victory for the Power Rangers! I felt Kevin's hand on my shoulder, "Now that the monster is dealt with, I think a certain someone still owes me lunch," Kevin said. You know what? After all that's happened today… lunch out sounded excellent… even if it was coming out of **my** budget…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

Dammit! Another failed attack! Scorn and I watched the Power Rangers earn another hollow victory from a crystal ball. "These Power Rangers are really starting to vex me," I growled.

Rikor turned to me with a raised eye ridge. "Who says "vex" anymore?" he questioned. However one measly growl was all I needed to produce in order to get him to instantly regret his words.

Our little back and forth was interrupted but a vortex opening in the middle of the room. Rikor and I both stared at this portal until an arrow suddenly flew out of it, both of us just barely dodging the projectile until it embedded itself into a nearby stalactite.

There seemed to be a note attached to the arrow, tied to it's shaft with twine. Rikor timidly untied the note and began to skim it. I noticed his face drop upon reading it's contents. "Do not keep me in suspense Rikor, what does it say?" I asked him.

Rikor didn't utter a word, just handing me the note with a trembling hand. I greedily snatched it from his claws and began to read it… and I instantly understood Rikor's concern.

"_Scorn, Rikor,_

_Do not think I am unaware of what you two have been up to. I have eyes and ears all over the realms. You two may have sword loyalty to the Order of Malefor, but never forget who **really** owns you two morons!_

_News of Malefor's return echo throughout the Dragon Realms, and I **know** you two are in the Human Realms serving him. I don't know how you two managed to free him but I'm not about to let some musty old hunk of scales keep two of my mages. I'm coming to collect what is mine._

_Expect me and my top apprentice by tomorrow morning, do not attempt to flee… I **will** find you._

_Regards,_

_The Sorceress."_

Rikor and I both looked at each other… we knew what this meant for us… The Sorceress didn't tolerate desertion…

And she was coming to collect what was hers…

* * *

**A/N: Abservon was a suggestion from one "Macapedia". Thanks dude!**

**You won't believe how long this thing took to write but thankfully now that I'm done with the character chapters I can finally get the plot rolling.**

**I'm going to be aiming for updating every Friday from now on, I've learned having a schedule helps me keep a story going, and I want to be able to actually _finish_ this one.**


	12. The Sorceress

**Author's Note: ****Sorry this chapter came out late, I had a long day Friday and my local area was suffering from random power outages. I didn't want to risk being in the middle of writing this chapter only for the power to go out causing me to lose all my progress. So… enjoy your incredibly late chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Sorceress**

* * *

_**New Harmony High School...**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

Today marked the first week since I had become a Power Ranger. That was such a weird thing to think about, how much my life has changed over a simple week. Over that week I've become a red spandex clad superhero in command of a giant robot dragon that may or may not have been modeled after Spyro's old fire teacher, I've learned there's a whole other world existing in tandem with our own full of dragons, magic, and all that other cliché fantasy stuff. Suffice to say it was a lot to take in for a high school kid who's biggest worry used to be simply surviving high school.

Simple things like going to school, studying for tests, even just skateboarding had become so minor and insignificant seemingly overnight, robbed of the importance they once had. I mean come on… your French test you forgot to study for kind of doesn't stack up to having to stop an evil death dragon from exterminating your entire race. Now that I had the fate of the world on my shoulders, everything else just felt like it didn't really matter anymore. I mean, what good is a high school diploma when Malefor destroys the world?

I knew deep down this was a **bad** mindset to have, especially if I didn't want to arouse suspicion over being a Power Ranger. But I just couldn't help it, it was hard to invest myself into minor pursuits or my future when said future wasn't even a guarantee anymore. I could end up dying **tomorrow** and no one would even **know**. God… how did those other Power Ranger teams do it? Then again, those other teams probably weren't C+ high school students like me, fighting evil while still trying to figure out their lot in life. I mean, at least I had a pretty good team surrounding me right?

Speaking of, here comes Dean. "Hey Dylan," Dean greeted me as I got my books for next period out of my locker. "Well it's official, the football team is back in action starting this afternoon," he said. It was odd that he didn't seem to have much excitement in his voice. If there's one thing I've learned over my time with Dean it was how much he **loved** playing football, he should be bouncing off the walls in excitement over the return of football in his life… right?

"You don't exactly seem too excited there dude," I pointed out.

Dean sighed, "I know, it's just… with the whole Power Ranger thing… I'm worried my football life is gonna start butting heads with my Power Ranger life, ya know?" he explained. So I guess I wasn't the only one who felt our status as Power Rangers kinda consumed every other part of our lives.

"You could always quit the team Dean," I suggested.

Dean gave me that look like I had just suggested he lop off his arms or something, "I can't believe after all the time we've spent together you'd even **suggest** that with a straight face," he said. "I can't quit football, I wanna be able to make something of myself after this whole Power Ranger thing ends, and… I don't wanna blow my chance at a scholarship by skipping out on it to go play superhero," he explained. "Don't get me wrong, I **love** being a Ranger, I love what we do for this city… but I want to make sure I don't end up with regrets," he said.

I got what Dean was saying, this Power Ranger thing wasn't going to last forever, sooner or later something was gonna give… and if that thing happened to be Malefor then we did need to make sure we still **had** a life to go back to once we hang up our helmets for good. But it was hard for me to invest in that when it was just as likely that Malefor would kill us all and leave us with no future at all. "Dean… there's no certainty we can even beat Malefor," I pointed out.

Dean gave me a weird look that told me he didn't like what I had just said. "Dude don't say that!" he chastised me. "Spyro chose us for a reason, we need to have **some** faith in ourselves," he said. Dean's optimism was something I kinda wished I shared, he was always mister bright side while I was the Debby Downer who had to ruin it all.

But I wasn't **wrong** either, Spyro had made it **no** secret how powerful Malefor was. He always built the old Dark Master up like some wrathful god like being made of pure destruction and pain. It was kinda difficult to stay positive when facing down something like that.

"I'm well aware of that Dean," I said as we both began to walk to our next period classes. "But just because Spyro "chose" us, doesn't mean Malefor _can't_ kill us," I explained. It wasn't a case of me being **cynical** or anything, it was a case of me having a hard time investing in my future when it was in question.

Dean suddenly stepped right in my path, forcing me to stop in place. "I'll tell you something coach once told me, you let your opponent get inside your head, you've already lost," he told me. "We **will** beat Malefor, there's no "maybe" about that," he said. Well excuse **me** for being realistic! Clinging to hope was all fine and dandy, but there was a fine line between being optimistic and straight up being in denial. "Come on man, you've seen how badly Malefor and his goons have been doing against us so far, we're untouchable," he said.

Yeah so far… but you never knew when we'd run into someone we **can't** just blast to smithereens…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Malefor…**_

* * *

I couldn't help but notice my two hapless mages currently losing their minds lately. It started yesterday and persisted up to even now. I don't know if their recent failures were finally starting to get to them or they were simply mad, but both of them seemed to be more than a bit on edge to put it kindly. To be honest it was beginning to **annoy **me. The two were currently checking every corner and jumping at even the slightest noise. I grow weary of this…

"Scorn! Rikor! A word please!" I called.

Like two obedient puppies, Scorn and Rikor approached me, bending to one knee. "I couldn't help but notice you two are acting… odd lately," I said. "I demand an explanation," I added forcefully.

The two hesitated to answer at first, exchanging nervous glances with one another before eventually, Scorn decided to explain. "The Sorceress has said she is coming to "collect us"," he explained. "Rikor and I are… well… a bit weary of our… erm… former teacher," he added.

I snorted, "Then this "Sorceress" is about to be very disappointed, you two are needed **here**," I said. "If you are to be afraid of someone, it should be **me**, not this''Sorceress ``!" I added.

"B-But Master, you don't understand!" Rikor chimed in, "The Sorceress is the most powerful magic user in the realms!" he said. I gave him a **very** angry stare punctuated by a loud growl which instantly made him skittish. "Uh… I mean… second most powerful magic user… after you of course," he added with a nervous laugh. "She doesn't take desertion lightly, Scorn and I… we're kinda afraid she might… ya know… destroy us?" he explained.

"That depends on if you two morons cooperate or not!"

I turned my head to the sounds of an older woman, in walked some kind of hippo, dinosaur thing in a rather impressive looking robe. She was quite short and more than a little rotund in figure, not exactly very intimidating. She was followed by a taller, more slender female obscured by her cloak. "The Sorceress I presume?" I asked.

The rotund woman glared at me, "Yes, and you must be Malefor, that dumb lizard Scorn never seemed to shut up about," she said. She must not value her life very much if she is so brazen as to insult me right in front of my face like that!

"You DARE?!" I roared, spreading my wings wide and making myself as tall as possible. I would not be insulted in **my** mountain! "I could kill you with but a thought!" I threatened her.

The withered old crone brandished some kind of staff at me, "Oh please, I'm not here for a fight Malefor," she said before turning to Scorn and Rikor, "I'm here for those two," she said.

"Too bad, I'm using them," I said flatly. "Now leave! Before I lose my patience!" I snarled.

However the old dino hippo just ignored me! Strolling right up to Scorn and Rikor. "You two really thought you could just up and abandon my castle like that? To go play world conqueror with a purple dragon?" she said.

"Madam Sorceress, please, this is our calling!" Scorn pleaded with the woman.

"Your "calling"? Then you must have conquered this realm already then haven't you? Or are these weak, pitiful primates too much for the most powerful dragon in all the realms and two… "stellar" mages such as yourselves?" she asked.

Scorn and Rikor were both lost their confidence in an instant, assuming they had any to begin with. "Well… not exactly," said Scorn.

"You see Madam Sorceress… the humans… they're protected by this group of super powered humans called The Power Rangers!" said Rikor. "Lord Malefor needs our help defeating them," he added. I felt a bit insulted by that statement, I did **not** need anyone's help squashing the Power Rangers, I simply lacked the strength right now.

"Power Rangers?" The Sorceress inquired.

I approached The Sorceress, "Yes, my old enemy Spyro had created a vanguard in case I returned, empowering four young humans with the powers of the dragon elements, they have been **quite** a nuisance," I explained.

The Sorceress puzzled for a moment, "Very well, I'll make you a deal," she said. "I'll get rid of these "Power Rangers" for you, and in return, I get those two bumblers back," she offered. I looked to Scorn and Rikor, both shaking their heads, telling me not to take the deal.

Of course, I cared not for their opinions. "Very well mage, we have a deal," I said. "But remember, only **after** the Power Rangers are dead may you take these two sniveling cowards back to your castle," I warned her.

The Sorceress chuckled, "Trust me Malefor, your little Power Rangers will be **dust** by noontime," she said before turning to the mage in the cloak. "Come Bianca, there is work to be done," she said. The cloaked mage, who's name was apparently Bianca, followed The Sorceress out.

I waited for the two to leave before turning to Scorn and Rikor, "Let that be a lesson to you **both**, never try to tell me if I should accept a deal or not," I said before leaving. "I have a headache," I grumbled as I left.

* * *

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

This was not ideal, Malefor was willing to give us back to The Sorceress in exchange for the destruction of the Power Rangers! Malefor knew not what The Sorceress was capable of, nor what she did to those who she deemed insubordinate. "We have to do something Rikor, if The Sorceress destroys the Power Rangers, you **know** what that means for **us**," I said to Rikor.

Rikor gulped, "Yeah… b-but what can **we** do? The Sorceress is so powerful, what if the rangers can't beat her?" he asked me.

I knew deep down what this would mean, and the very notion of it made me sick to my stomach. "We have no choice Rikor… if we're going to spare ourselves The Sorceress' wrath, we must… aid the rangers..." I said. Just saying those words made me want to gag. I despised the Power Rangers, and would love nothing more than to see them crushed. But I guess you could say I feared The Sorceress more than I hated the Power Rangers. "But if we are to do so, we must do so discreetly, if Malefor learns we aided the Power Rangers in any way, we may not live to see another day," I warned Rikor.

Rikor nodded and we both left to make a plan, if all went well… then everything will return to normal by sunrise tomorrow…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**New Harmony High School, US History Class…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

"While the idea of spies, counter intelligence, and disinformation were not new concepts for warfare, the Cold War brought so much of it to the forefront, it was hard to tell who you could trust, alliances shifted all the time, and anyone could be working against you for the other side,"

I wonder if Malefor ever tried to use spies or counter intelligence during **his** war on Spyro's world? Probably not, he probably just blew everything up and laughed evilly. I know I should be paying more attention to the teacher's lecture, it was going to be on the test after all. But I couldn't help it, being a Power Ranger had sort of made school feel irrelevant, especially since at any moment Spyro could contact me and tell me another monster was attacking.

"Mister Foutler!"

I was suddenly snapped out of my introspection by my history teacher looming over me with a very unimpressed look on his face. "Can you tell me what it was that made the Cold War so different than any other?" he asked me.

Oh crap, better think of an answer fast! "Uhh… because it was cold?" I guessed. Judging by the sudden laughter of my classmates that wasn't the answer my teacher was looking for.

"While Mister Foutler's answer is… basic… it isn't completely untrue, although the term "cold" means something different in terms of warfare, it simply means that the two warring factions weren't directly engaging in combat with one another," the teacher said. Well… half right is better than not right at all right? So why did I still feel so embarrassed?

And as if this weren't bad enough already, my morpher went off before a gem launched out of it. That holographic image of Spyro told me I was probably going to need to think up an excuse to get out of here. "Rangers, someone's attacking the New Harmony business district, get down there and stop them before someone gets hurt," he said before vanishing.

Fantastic, after what had just happened, convincing the teacher to let me excuse myself was going to be tricky. "Uh… Mister Sullivan," I said. "I need to uh… go to the bathroom," I lied. Ah the bathroom excuse, a classic. Hopefully he'd buy it.

"Very well Dylan, but don't take too long, this material is going to be on the test," he said. Victory! I quickly left the room and rushed off to meet with the others. We all gathered at the front of the school, thankfully everyone had been able to get out of class like I did. "Alright guys, we ready?" I asked.

Dean sighed, "I really wish Malefor would save his monster attacks for **after **school! I'm gonna flunk my world history test if I don't study the material," he said.

Kevin shrugged, "That's what Wikipedia is for dude," he said.

"Dude Wikipedia once tried to tell me Scooby Doo was a Pokemon who blows fire out of his butt, forgive me if I don't trust everything they say," Dean argued back.

I just shook my head, "Guys… monster? Remember? Terrorizing the business district? Would be really bad if we wasted time mewling over missing classes over?" I said. "Now come on, before it becomes a massive crater?" I said before we all ran off to engage the monster. You know, Spyro needs to find a way to get us to and from monster encounters… ah well… at least it's good cardio…

After a bit of running we finally reached the business district to find it in complete chaos! People in suits fleeing in terror as cars crashed all around us. It didn't take long for us to find out who was behind it, but who it was kinda took me by surprise.

Today's monster seemed to be some hippo… dinosaur… thing in a fancy robe complete with one of those collars you see guys like Shakespeare rocking all the time. It was kinda short and tubby, making it a lot less intimidating than it probably thought they were. "Oh Power Rangers, where are you? Or do you simply not care how many of these pathetic humans I destroy?" it asked, revealing that it was female.

Kevin turned to me, "You think we should even bother? I mean… I feel kinda bad about beating up something so… ya know... short?" he said.

"Well it's either that or let her destroy the city," I said. "_**It's Morphin' Time!**_" I called.

"_**Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form!"**_

"_**Fire!"**_

"_**Ice!"**_

"_**Earth!"**_

"_**Electricity!"**_

We all flipped through the air and landed right in the tubby mage's path. "Hold it right there!" I said. "You wanted the Power Rangers? Well be careful what you wish for, because you've just got it!" I said. "_**Power Rangers! Dragon's Roar!**_" I called out.

"_**United We Soar!"**_

The mage seemed more amused by us than intimidated. "You have a battle cry! How adorable, it even rhymes!" she mused before her expression suddenly became serious, "I, however, have no need for such… theatrics, I prefer to get straight to the point!" she said before suddenly blasting us with some kind of spell! It sent all four of us flying through the air before hitting the ground with a thud. "I am The Sorceress… the most powerful magic user in the Dragon Realms," she explained.

I got up, man was that a powerful blast. "Malefor running out of names for his monsters already? The Sorceress seems kinda bland don't you think?" I said as I took a fighting stance.

The Sorceress laughed again, "You think I'm of Malefor's creation? I don't know if I find that amusing or insulting," she said. "Besides, I doubt that overgrown lizard made anything you lot have encountered, he probably had Rikor conjure up his monsters again," she explained. Who the hell was "Rikor"?!

The Sorceress glared at me, staring me right in the eyes despite them being hidden by my dark visor, "I am the one who trained Scorn and Rikor in magic, and it seems Malefor in unwilling to allow me to reclaim them unless you four are dealt with," she said.

Oh crap, she trained Scorn? This wasn't going to be very fun was it? "Oh yeah? Well you're about to fall flat on your face just like Scorn did!" I said before launching myself at The Sorceress, trying to get her with a few punches and kicks, but she easily countered each one before blasting me in the chest with some kind of magic missile, knocking me flat on my back.

"I do not fall as easily as that overgrown mutt," The Sorceress spat. "I honestly find it difficult to believe Malefor actually struggles to defeat you fools, so weak… so stupid," she said as she caught what was supposed to be a surprise attack from Kevin. Kevin had tried to bonk her right on the head with an ax kick but she caught his leg in mid air. "Do you fools even know how to use dragon magic? Or do you just enjoy flailing your limbs around like children?" she asked before flipping Kevin in the air, sending him crashing down onto the concrete.

"_**Bow of Lightning!"**_

The sorceress quickly made a magic shield to block Jess' lightning arrows. "At least **someone** knows how to use magic," she said, "Poorly, mind you, but it's a start," she added before sending a magic attack right at Jess, who couldn't get out of the way in time and got totally beamed by it. "Honestly girl, has anyone ever taught you not to shout the names of your attacks?" she lectured Jess.

Dean suddenly summoned his ax, "Come on! Let's see if you've got any game you withered old hag!" he said as he twirled his ax around in his hand.

"Oh you wish to see if I've got "game" do you?" The Sorceress mused before freaking Sith Lightning fired from her fingers! The electricity surged through poor Dean as he was brought to his knees. I have to stop this! Dean won't last much longer like that!

"Sword of Flame!" I called. "Elemental Power! Blazing Slash!" I said as I launched a wave of fire right at The Sorceress. She was so distracted by murdering Dean that she was totally blindsided by the attack.

However she wasn't as hurt by it as I would like. She just shook it off before turning to me, "A sneak attack? Impressive," she said before blasting me away with another magic spell. "You certainly are a bold one aren't you little red," she said before skipping on the magic and just smacking me across the face with her staff. The helmet took most of the impact but it still managed to hurt like hell. I forced myself back to my feet and tried to fight back, throwing as many punches and kicks as I could muster. But The Sorceress just blocked each one before once again blasting me with that staff of hers. "I believe that was how our first dance went as well, honestly darling, did you expect a different result this time?" she asked me.

Did she seriously just call me "darling"? Ugh… I don't think I even want to contemplate in how many ways that was seriously wrong. Once again I got myself back to my feet, "You don't scare me," I said. That wasn't one hundred percent true, I would honestly rather **not** die today. But I wasn't about to give stumpy here the satisfaction of knowing she frightened me either.

Once again she fired more magic at me, this time my visor actually cracked open when it collided with the concrete, leaving one of my eyes exposed. "A stubborn one aren't we? Don't worry, I'll change that real quick," she said as she inched closer before noticing my exposed eye. "Ah… so there **is** a weak little human underneath that ridiculous outfit," she mused.

The other rangers tried to come to my aid. The first was Kevin, who tried to get her with his ice lance. One blast to the face ended **that** attempt. The next was Jess, who tried to slash her with the blades on her bow. The Sorceress blocked it and smashed the end of her staff into Jess' gut, sending the Yellow Ranger to her knees. Finally there was Dean, he tried to slash her with his ax, she dodged the first swipe and countered with a magic blast to his face, taking him out of the fight as well. "And then there was one," she said.

Dammit! Not like this! I thought back to the dilemma I had earlier, about not being able to truly invest in my life due to it not being a certainty. I always knew death was a possibility… but never imagined it would be coming for me so soon. "I'm going to hazard a guess that you're supposed to be their leader? You seem to be the ones calling the shots… poorly I might add," she said before grabbing me the chin of my helmet so I was eye level with her. "Have you heard the old saying "take out the leader and they all crumble"?" she asked me. I didn't respond, just trying to force a determined look on my face to hide how absolutely terrified I was right now. "How quickly do you think your little team will fall apart after I kill you?" she asked me.

I couldn't stop my determined facade from crumbling upon hearing that, looking to my currently down friends. To be honest, we hadn't been a team for that long, and I don't know how they thought of me in regards of a leader. But the very idea me dying here could spell the end for **them** as well sent a shock straight to my core. "Ah… there it is… the mask finally comes undone and I see the **real** Red Ranger… when faced with death… just like every other human you succumb to fear all the same," she said.

No… it can't end like this! Not to **her**! She wasn't even invested in destroying us, she just wanted to pick up her mages from Malefor! To have all of what we've accomplished, all we've trained for, rendered meaningless by someone who wasn't even invested in our deaths was just insulting. My fear began to be replaced by pure rage… an anger so deep it made me visibly shake. I felt my body becoming hotter and hotter, as if an inner fire were beginning to rage. It began to build… and build… and build until eventually it was full to bursting.

I noticed the fire was beginning to form around us, even The Sorceress herself seemed surprised by this, going from confident to afraid in the fraction of a second. "What is this?! What are you doing?! Answer me!" she demanded. To be honest, I didn't even know what was going on, but I didn't care, all I wanted was to save my fellow rangers, save **myself**.

I then felt Ignitus' presence in my head again.

"Let the fire go Dylan… unleash the dragon fire within you,"

The fire began to build, before exploding like a bomb. The blast sent The Sorceress flying back and through a bench. The blast was so intense, so powerful, it forced me to de-morph and sapped me of all the strength I had left. I don't know what it was that just happened, but I'm thankful it managed to stop The Sorceress from killing me.

The Sorceress herself wasn't dead, she wasn't even unconscious, but she **was** hurt. "What… what was that?!" She questioned.

The other rangers positioned themselves between me and The Sorceress, "It's over Sorceress! You can't fight all of us in your condition!" Dean said.

However, before anyone could make a move, someone in a cloak suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "This battle may be over Power Rangers, but you will not destroy my teacher," the figure said. She had the voice of a young woman, late teens early twenties if I were to ballpark it. "Until we meet again," she said before throwing something on the floor and vanishing in a puff of smoke.

The rangers all surrounded me, Jess propping my head on her knee. "Dylan? You okay? What **was** that?" she asked me. I had no clue what it was, but I wouldn't get the chance to tell her before my body finally gave out and I lost consciousness…

* * *

**A/N- Well that was a thing, what was that attack Dylan just used? And what plan do Scorn and Rikor have to keep themselves out of The Sorceress' clutches? Find out next time!**


	13. Dragon Fury

**Chapter 12: Dragon Fury**

* * *

_**50 years ago…**_

_**The Silver River...**_

_**Spyro…**_

* * *

I had debated if I even wanted to come to this ceremony…

Not because I didn't care about the people it was honoring, it was actually the exact opposite. I couldn't bear to think about it… the people I failed. Cynder insisted I come though, she said I needed to face them if I was ever going to forgive myself.

It had been only one day since Malefor's fall, the guardians had wanted to hold off on this and let people be happy for the night. But eventually… everyone had to face the grim reality of surviving a centuries long war.

Terrador stood before the Silver River, looking as stoic as ever. "My fellow denizens of Warfang, we stand here today after a dark cloud that has hung over our heads long before our great grandfathers were even born, ahead of us lies our new beginnings… in a world of peace," he said. "However… before we can leave Malefor's evil behind us… we must first honor those he took from us," he added.

Yes, this ceremony was meant to honor those who had died during the war. I had to watch as these people mourned their lost loved ones, knowing full well that I had failed each and every one of them. I know that I had saved so many people, but knowing so many more had met their end made that hard to take comfort in. I looked around to see everyone holding lit candles stuck inside overturned mushroom heads. Each one representing a person I failed to protect… and they were numerous.

One by one the mourners placed their candles in the river, and sent them on their way. Symbolically sending them to the ancestors. All I could do was watch the ceremony, listen to the soft sobs of heartbroken families and widowed lovers. Some couldn't even find the will to stand and collapsed into bawling heaps.

"Spyro,"

I saw the three guardians approaching me, Terrador holding a large red candle in his claws. It didn't take much thought to figure out who that candle was meant to represent. "Ignitus always seemed to treat you as a son," Terrador began, "It seems only fitting you light the flame," he added. Confirming what I already guessed from how they approached me. Part of me wanted to say no, that it would be too hard… to painful… but… I couldn't. I needed to be the one to send him off, I owed him that much.

I reluctantly took the candle and used my fire breath to light it. I hated this… I hated it so much… that Ignitus had to die, that I had to be the one to symbolically send him on his way to the ancestors. Walking the candle to the river and placing it in the mushroom head, all I could think of was how I let this happen… that my mentor and father figure was dead because I failed to act.

I watched the red candle float to join the others… the sheer number of them was a cruel reminder of just how many people I failed. I wondered how many of those lives I could have saved if I had actually been there to help them? "Spyro," Cynder's voice said from behind me. "You did everything you could have done, no one is blaming you for their deaths," she told me.

I wanted to believe that, I really did. But I know better, I was supposed to be a hero, I was supposed to protect them and I didn't. I spent three years locked in a prison of my own design while Malefor gleefully laid waste to everyone. "Cynder… if I hadn't lost control during the Eternal Night… I could have prevented those deaths… Ignitus might not have had to sacrifice himself," I said.

Cynder leaned herself against me, trying to comfort me. "Spyro… you did everything you could to save as many lives as possible, no one could ask any more from you," she told me.

I just shook my head, "Then why does it hurt so much Cynder? Why do I feel so guilty when I see the sadness in the guardians eyes knowing they'll never see their friend again?" I asked her. My vision becoming blurred by the tears welling up in my eyes. "Why did Ignitus have to die? It's not fair..." I sobbed.

"Life rarely is Spyro, trust me… I know," she told me. "But I do know this… Ignitus didn't die so you could wallow in your own guilt, he died because he wanted us to have a chance to live a happy, full life, that's all he wanted for the both of us… it's what he felt he owed us for failing to protect us during the temple raid," she explained. "You taught me to forgive myself, Spyro," she then said before looking me right in the eyes, "I think it's only fair you do the same for yourself," she told me.

I don't know if I'd ever be able to forgive myself for what happened, we were talking about thousands of lives I failed to save. But I guess Cynder would know better than most that there was nothing to be gained by dwelling on your past. "Cynder… does it ever get easier? Forgiving yourself?" I asked her.

Cynder sighed, "I won't lie to you, some days are harder than others," she told me. "But I've found having someone by my side makes it a little easier," she said with a warm smile.

Without another word spoken I realized what she meant. No matter how harsh the storm got, we'd always have one another to brave it with us. It didn't make the pain go away, I doubt it ever would, but knowing at least Cynder would be there for me the whole way made things a little less daunting…

It's amazing what having a loyal friend by your side can do for you…

* * *

_**Present Day…**_

_**Dragon Temple…**_

_**Spyro…**_

* * *

Cynder's words had stuck with me even decades later… and over those decades I had indeed allowed myself to be forgiven for all those deaths during the war. Or so I thought at least, until the possibility of adding **more** corpses to my conscience hit me like an Aether blast to the face. Watching the Power Rangers get flattened by The Sorceress was like being stabbed in the heart over and over again. It was only through the grace of the Ancestors that Dylan managed to take her down with a desperation move.

It's amazing how we can ignore the plainly obvious until it smacks you right across the face. In a way I always knew I was putting the ranger's lives at risk ever since I first handed them their morphers. But after coming so close to losing one of them… that grim reality finally hit me, and the questions soon followed.

Was I doing the right thing?

Did I have a right to risk the lives of four strangers to fight a war I should have ended a long time ago?

What will I do if one of them dies?

Will I even be able to _live_ with that?

By all accounts, this wasn't their war, it was **mine**. I just dragged them into it without even contemplating the consequences if any of them should meet their end. But what could I do? Take their morphers away and leave their world without protection?

Face it Spyro, you made this bed, and now you must lie in it.

It wouldn't be long until the Rangers returned to the temple, and I'd have to put on my "wise mentor" persona just to keep their morale up. I'd have to hide just how much that encounter had frightened me, and allow them to have some sort of strong role model for them to fall back on. I wonder if Ignitus had ever had to do something like that for me? To wear the mask of a confident mentor just to keep me from giving into despair? What I wouldn't give to have him here to tell me what I should do next. But that was impossible, he was long dead… only existing as the motif of one of my Rangers now… ironically the very Ranger who had gotten the worst of The Sorceress' assault.

With a deep sigh, I mentally prepared myself for the Rangers arrival. I had an important part to play right now, The Rangers needed a glimmer of hope after such a humiliating defeat, and whether I liked it or not, that "glimmer of hope" needed to be me.

As I entered the main chambers, the familiar sight of The Rangers warping in laid before me. They each arrived in the light of their respective colors. They were all still morphed save for Dylan, who laid unconscious in Jess' arms. My eyes couldn't help but focus on Dylan's unconscious body, a strong ping of guilt rippled through my very soul as I knew full well it was my fault he was currently in such a sorry state.

Kevin was irate, the second he warped in he ripped his helmet off and slammed it against the floor. "She completely trashed us!" he growled as his helmet bounced off the floor of the temple. I couldn't blame Kevin for being upset, this was the first time The Rangers had ever been beaten so soundly and that was always a bitter pill for a warrior of any stripe to swallow.

Dean was quick to try to calm Kevin down, "Dude chill out, we can't win every fight, we'll get her next time," he said, ever the optimist. It was good to see at least Dean was still in good spirits.

But Kevin was clearly far from it. "Dean she totally creamed us! If a fat old hag like her can crush us that easily, imagine what **Malefor** will do to us!" he yelled. "Face it dude, it's over! We can't come back from that!" he said. Kevin was clearly allowing his fear to get to him. But I couldn't say I blamed him, I wouldn't be feeling confident if I had gotten beaten that easily either.

However Dean clearly felt differently. "You don't think I've ever been shut out before?" he protested. "You let this kind of thing gets to you and you're never gonna overcome it! We gotta put this behind us and come back stronger! Not waste time feeling sorry for ourselves!" Dean argued back.

"This isn't football Dean!" Kevin snapped back. "This is **war**, our **lives** are at stake! And I'm not willing to stake my life on good vibes and the power of friendship okay?" he argued.

"That's your problem right there!" Dean snapped, "You're always such a pessimist! Why can't you just look on the bright side for once in your life?! Why do you always gotta be like that?!" Dean asked.

"I'm sorry not all of us can be hopeless optimists like you Dean!" Kevin yelled, "Some of us happen to live in the **real** world! I'm sorry reality isn't a goddamn kid's show where all you need to do is believe in yourself and the problem magically goes away!" He said. "Do us all a favor football boy and grow up already!" he added. That was a low blow, and the tears streaming down Dean's face proved just how much that comment hurt him.

This was getting out of hand! Dean and Kevin looked dangerously close to coming to blows! "ENOUGH!" I yelled as loud as my lungs would allow, stopping the two rangers argument dead in its tracks. "Kevin, I know you're scared, but Dean is right, you keep thinking you're going to lose and you'll end up being right," I said before turning to Dean, "But Kevin isn't wrong when he says we need to face reality when it stares us in the face," I said.

I took a deep breath, knowing The Rangers needed one of those "mentor speeches" Ignitus always told me when I needed encouragement. Ancestors was this harder than Ignitus always made it look, he always seemed to know the right words to say when things looked their bleakest. "You four weren't ready to face an opponent on the level of The Sorceress yet, she's had decades of experience with her magic while you're all still trying to figure out the true extents of what you're capable of," I explained. "By no means should any of you take this as the end, you still have so much of your own power to uncover, so much more experience to gain," I explained. "The best thing you four can do is take this defeat as a lesson learned and come back stronger next time," I said.

Trying to lift the spirits of three teenagers who had just experienced their worst defeat so far would be a trying experience. But as their mentor, it was my job to try to keep their spirits high. I just hope that Malefor gives us time to recover before his next attack…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Malefor…**_

* * *

I knew that witch wouldn't be able to get the job done, for all her power she was hopelessly arrogant and it cost her in that battle. I knew from experience that a cornered animal is the most dangerous, and she left herself wide open to its fangs.

She was now a burnt, injured mess. Sufficiently humbled and thus more easy to reason with. "Do you see now why I need your mages, Sorceress?" I asked, doing my best to resist laughing in her face. "Even when you think you have those Power Rangers cornered, they always seem to find a way to turn the tides of battle in their favor," I said. I was enjoying this, this hag was so arrogant, so full of herself. She thought herself my superior, but now she knew the truth.

The Sorceress spat defiantly in my direction, "They got lucky," she growled. "They are nothing but mere children fumbling in the dark, they have great power but know not how to use it," she explained. Use all the excuses you wish Sorceress, your burnt flesh and robes told me all I needed to know.

"You got cocky," I corrected her, "You could have easily killed the red one, but instead you chose to mock him and succumb to theatrics," I explained. "That is why **I'm** in charge! I don't waste my time on petty ego or theatrics, I get the job **done**," I snarled.

The Sorceress took exception to this, "And that helped you so much in your battle with Spyro and Cynder didn't it, lizard?" she snapped at me.

In one swift motion I grabbed The Sorceress by the throat, "If you wish to keep your head, you will never speak of those two in my presence again!" I growled. "My power dwarfs yours ten fold, I'd rethink how you address me from this point forward if I were you," I warned her before unceremoniously dropping her to the floor.

"My power grows with every passing day," I began, "The day will soon come when I have enough strength to confront Spyro's little Power Rangers directly, and I assure you Sorceress," I said as I lowered my head, staring right into her eyes. "They will not best me like they had you," I said.

The Sorceress was doing her best to hide it, but her eyes betrayed her. She was frightened of me, as she **should** be, as **all** should be. "Now then, go and lick your wounds, we need to plan to strike while The Rangers are injured and demoralized," I said. The Sorceress left in a huff, no doubt humiliated by recent events.

As soon as The Sorceress and her student left, Scorn approached me. "Lord Malefor… A-Am I to assume that, since The Sorceress failed… that your deal with her is off?" he asked me.

I turned to him, "No," I said flatly. "If she kills the Power Rangers, there will be no reason to keep you two around," I explained. "Now leave, I need to plan our next attack," I said. Scorn and Rikor both left my presence after that.

* * *

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

Dammit, it would seem Rikor and I would have to intervene regardless, I was really hoping that defeat would be the end of our worries. Rikor and I hid ourselves in his workshop, "It seems we will need to enact our plan after all, Rikor," I said.

Rikor gulped, "Do you really think it wise to work against Lord Malefor? What if he finds out?" he said.

I had no doubt Malefor's wrath would be great should he find out we were working against The Sorceress. But we both knew what awaited us if she reclaimed us. "We will have to be secretive, The Sorceress must not succeed," I said.

Rikor nodded before producing a bottle with a note inside, "It took some digging, but I managed to find something that will help The Power Rangers beat The Sorceress, it feels so… weird helping our enemies Scorn," he said.

I nodded, "Indeed, but if we are to survive and continue Lord Malefor's crusade, we must," I said before taking the note, I began the incantation, sending the note directly to wherever the Power Rangers currently were.

I hated helping those infernal Rangers in any way, but the alternative was allowing The Sorceress to take us back to her castle and have her way with us. I didn't get as far as I was being a fool, I knew when compromises needed to be made to survive.

And trust me… this **was** a matter of survival…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Dragon Temple…**_

_**Spyro…**_

* * *

After Dylan was tended to, the Rangers and I went to the Dragon Temple, to figure out what our next course of action would be. Kevin was still very much shaken by the battle, still insistent we just give up. I'd just have to hope he would come out of it eventually.

Dean had kept his optimism though, insisting we would find a way to win.

However Jess had a question, "I uh… wasn't sure if anyone else was gonna bring it up but… uh… what **was** it that Dylan had done back there anyway?" she asked. I can't believe I forgot to discuss this with them. To be fair, it was something I wasn't aware they **could** do, but even still… it could prove quite useful.

"It's called a Dragon Fury," I explained. "We dragons use it as a desperation attack, it focuses all of our mana into a single burst of elemental power," I said. "Dylan must have unlocked it out of some desperate need to survive," I theorized.

Dean perked up, "You mean… we can **all** do that?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered.

Kevin approached me, "And you didn't tell us about this "Dragon Fury" thing before, because… why?" He asked.

"Because I didn't know you were capable of it," I replied. Admitting that was kind of hard for me, I doubt they'd find the idea that there were things about their powers I didn't even know about very comforting. But I wasn't going to lie to them either.

"See Kev," Dean said, "Spyro was right, we aren't even at full power yet, even **he** doesn't know our limits!" He said. That's not **exactly** what I meant, but I wasn't about to stop him from boosting the team's morale either. "Who knows what other powers we have deep within ourselves! We **can** win!" he said triumphantly.

Kevin however, was unconvinced. "Come on Dean, that doesn't mean we can't lose," he said. "All the power in the world doesn't mean jack if we can't find out how to beat The Sorceress, and it's not like the answer's gonna appear out of thin air!" he said.

Almost as if on cue, a mysterious light appeared in the center of the dojo, no one dared make a move as the object began to take form. A bottle with a note inside fell to the floor with a loud clunk. No one seemed to want to risk touching it until Dean braved picking it up.

He uncorked the bottle and slipped the note out before opening it. Kevin and Jess both approached, "What kind of language is that supposed to be? Klingon?" He asked.

I motioned for Dean to hand me the note, I could tell even from here that it was written in Dragon Realm script. Dean handed me the note and I began to skim it's contents. My eyes widened as I read it's contents. "It's instructions on how to dampen The Sorceress magic!" I said in shock.

I had no clue who sent this not nor why… but if this was legitimate… we may have just found our means to beat The Sorceress should she attack again…

* * *

**A/N: I'm so sorry I took so long to get this chapter out, writer's block came back with a vengeance. I'm going to attempt to get this back on a weekly schedule, possibly moving uploads to Sundays instead of Fridays. **


	14. Making Magic Happen

**Chapter 13: Making Magic Happen**

* * *

_**Dragon Temple...**_

_**Spyro…**_

* * *

None of us were expecting anything like this to happen, for the answers to our problems to just… appear out of thin air. But sometimes the ancestors smiled upon us and fate chose to give us a break. However, years of being a hero had taught me to always be cautious, the fact I didn't recognize the handwriting on the note was cause for concern for me, this could be a trap for all I knew.

"So? Are you gonna leave us all in suspense or what?" Asked Kevin.

I read the note carefully;

"The Sorceress' magic is vast, but with her advanced age it has become difficult for her to channel it for too long, it's why she needs her staff. Her staff needs its own supply of magic to work, as it adds it to her own in order to lighten the burden of spell casting.

Under normal circumstances, this staff is indestructible, as it uses a magic barrier to protect itself. But the magic produced by the wood can be rendered inert by the essence of a special kind of flower known to those in the magic community as "Magesbane".

It is a very rare plant that only grows in the Tall Plains. It has the ability to absorb magic, normally it would simply weaken a mage. But if it is charged by another magic source, it can disenchant a magic object. I believe that the Yellow Ranger's lightning bow, if mixed with the Magesbane flower's essence, could produce enough magic energy to disenchant The Sorceress staff, allowing you to destroy it and finally defeat her.

Best of luck,

Someone with a common enemy,"

The rangers listened intently as I read the letter to them. I admit, the fact that the writer of this note had made a point not to sign with their name was cause for concern. But the plan had logic to it. I remembered Volteer telling me about Magesbane before, but the specifics were hazy. To be honest, it was hard to remember **most** of Volteer's endless speeches.

Dean stood up, "So all we have to do is get this flower and have Jess shoot it at her?" he said.

However, "It's not that simple," I said. "The note said it only grows in the Tall Plains, that's not in your world," I explained. To be honest, the idea of the rangers ever having to go to my world hadn't crossed my mind. Considering Malefor's efforts seemed focused squarely on **their** world right now. With their teleportation capabilities, it stood to reason that they could travel between the worlds.

But I found myself reluctant to do so, my world wasn't like theirs. It was full of dangers unlike anything they'd ever encountered before. Not to mention the idea of leaving the Human Realms defenseless while the rangers ran off to collect the plant.

Jess seemed to come to the same realization, "So we'd have to go to the Dragon Realms, leaving our world wide open to an attack while we're away," she said.

I nodded, "Exactly."

Dean began to think, until an idea finally hit him. "Two of us will go to the Tall Plains while one of us stays behind in case Malefor tries something," he suggested.

The very notion of leaving one ranger to defend the Human Realms practically made my stomach turn. I designed the rangers as a team, while they weren't completely helpless by themselves, they were strongest together. But I had to decide if leaving the human realms with one defender was better than leaving it with none.

Eventually, I had to make a decision. "Jess, your powers are better for attacking larger groups, you should be the one to stay behind," I said. I was aware that Jess was the weakest fighter of the group, but her electric powers made her more adept for fending off large armies than either Dean or Kevin.

However, I then remembered that Dean and Kevin weren't exactly seeing eye to eye right now. This realization was confirmed by the dirty looks they were giving each other, "Look, I know you two are having issues with one another right now, but you're going to have to set them aside if we're going to get that plant and stop The Sorceress," I said.

Kevin just rolled his eyes before putting his helmet back on, "Whatever man, just as long as Captain Sunshine here doesn't screw things up we should be fine," Kevin spat.

Dean shook his head, "You're not nearly as funny as you think you are, dude," he said before putting his own helmet back on.

Oh Ancestors… this was a mistake… but, the decision already made so I might as well go along with it. Who knows? Maybe spending some time together in the Tall Plains will help them settle their differences?

The two rangers stood ready for teleportation, "Alright you two, the Tall Plains may look peaceful, but there are dangers still lurking from every corner, so be on your guard," I instructed them. The two nodded and I teleported the two rangers to their destinations. I can only hope they can at least get along long enough to accomplish their mission.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

I hated working against Malefor like this, it violated everything that I stood for as a loyal member of the Order of Malefor. But he didn't know The Sorceress like I did, what she'd do to us for deserting her. Sometimes you had to violate your principles for the sake of survival. The only major worry I had at the moment was the possibility of Malefor figuring out what Rikor and I had done. I knew full well what he had done to the apes for crossing him, cursed as skeletons for all eternity. Not exactly a fate I was in any hurry to share with them.

Rikor and I headed towards the main chambers. Rikor was **not** hiding how nervous he was very well. Nervously twitching and constantly looking over his shoulder. "Rikor, get a hold of yourself!" I barked at him. "If Malefor sees you like this he'll **know** something is wrong," I pointed out.

Rikor swallowed nervously, "R-right… of course," he agreed. "A-Are you sure he won't find out? I mean… the Rangers have to go to the Dragon Realms to get the Magesbane, he-he might find that suspicious," he asked me.

I didn't have time to answer before we found ourselves in the main chamber where Malefor sat, staring into his vision pool. He looked puzzled, "I… Is something the matter, Lord Malefor?" I asked.

Malefor's eyes turned to my direction, "I can sense them, the Power Rangers, they're headed to the Dragon Realms, two of them," he said. My heart sank… he knew… I could tell by the look he was giving me! He **knew**.

"M… My lord-" I tried to explain, to spin some sort of yarn that would salvage the situation. But Malefor cut me off.

"You don't think I know why they're headed there? What did they have planned?" he asked me.

I could feel Rikor's claws on my shoulders, he was hiding behind me like a scolded child. I couldn't say I blamed him, Malefor was furious… and few furies compared to that of the Dark Master's. "I don't know how they found out about Magesbane…" he said before leaning in close to me, "I have my suspicions though…" he growled. "But they will have to wait, Spyro has left the Human Realms defenseless, to not capitalize on this would be foolish, Scorn I want you to lead an army of Grublins to New Harmony and-" Malefor began to explain but found himself cut off.

"I will lead them,"

The Sorceress appeared from the opposite hallway. "It took some doing, but I managed to heal the wounds that infernal Red Ranger inflicted upon me," she said before turning to me, "And I doubt you want this incompetent little mutt to screw up such a golden opportunity as this," she sneered.

I couldn't stop myself from snarling in frustration. I was perfectly capable of leading Malefor's armies! Much more than this fat old hag!

However, "Very well Sorceress, if you feel yourself more capable than Scorn to lead my armies than by all means," said Malefor.

"But, my Lord! I-" I tried to object.

But one vicious glare from the Dark Master silenced me in an instant. Once Malefor knew he wasn't going to hear any more lip from me he turned back to The Sorceress, "Be warned, I only sensed two leaving for the Dragon Realms, and considering the Red Ranger is, as far as we know, still out of action, there will be at least one Power Ranger there to oppose you," he said.

The Sorceress smirked, "Oh trust me Malefor, I can handle **one** little Power Ranger," she said before turning to leave for the city.

Malefor then turned to us, "Seeing as you're so eager to prove yourself, Scorn," he said, "It is up to **you** to intercept the two Power Rangers Spyro sent for the Magesbane, can you handle that?" he asked me.

Great, now I would have to work against my own plan just to keep Malefor from finding out. "It will be done, My Lord," I said before turning to leave.

Rikor quickly followed, "What are you gonna do? If the Rangers don't get the Magesbane then… well..." said Rikor.

"I have a plan in place," I said, "For now, it seems like Malefor isn't completely aware of what we are doing, we must do what is necessary to keep it that way," I said before creating a portal to the Tall Plains.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Tall Plains…**_

_**Kevin Naton…**_

* * *

When you hear the name "Dragon Realms", there's many things that come to mind. You think of sprawling fantasy landscapes, castles, at least a few dragons. But what do I get instead?

Wheat… tons and tons of wheat just flowing in the breeze. I was expecting Heavy Metal… but instead got dueling banjos. "Man… I was kinda hoping for something less… pedestrian," I commented.

Dean turned to me, "Dude, we're here for the Magesbane, not to critique the scenery," he told me before moving through the wheat field. "Besides, what did you expect from a place called "Tall Plains"? Rivers of lava and skull mountains?" he asked me as I began to follow.

"Well, no… but it would have been a lot cooler," I replied.

But I have to admit, this place had an odd sense of… "tranquility" to it I could quite describe. Everything here was so peaceful, so quiet. It was a far cry from the loud and angry city of New Harmony.

Although I don't think my dragon spirit shares the same opinion, "_Ugh… __**this**_ _place again…_" scoffed Cyril in disgust. "_Trust me Kevin, you would not think this place so "tranquil" if you had to spend countless nights trapped here like I had, ugh… I can still remember the pungent smell from those Attlawa savages…"_ he shuddered.

I couldn't resist a small chuckle at that last bit, something Cyril **really** didn't appreciate. "Oh! Is that funny to you?!" he snapped at me. "_Never mind the countless nights I suffered here! Let's all laugh at the silly ice guardian's suffering like a sociopath!_" he scolded me. Man… dude needs to learn to lighten up sometimes. I don't think we're going to be spending quite **that** much time here dude. "_I should hope not! I've already had more of this place than I care to stomach as is_," he commented.

Dean and I soon came upon some kind of water wheel. "For "savages", they certainly seem to have their simple machines down," I commented. Forgetting for a moment that I was saying this out loud to Dean, who had no context for that.

"Dude, what are you talking about?" he asked me.

"Cyril doesn't seem to have a high opinion of the locals around here," I replied. "Apparently he was held hostage here for a while," I added.

Dean took a good look around the area, "I dunno man, there are worse places to be held captive in," he said.

Easy for him to say, he's not the one with Cryil in his brain. Speaking of, Cyril wasn't about to let the little factoid that Dean couldn't hear him stop him from throwing shade at him. "I wouldn't expect someone as simple as **you** to understand the hell I went through **Dean**! Being as uncultured as you are," he said. I couldn't resist laughing at that.

"What's so funny?" Dean asked me.

"Cyril just called you "simple", dude," I replied.

I didn't think much of that at that moment, but I could tell even in spite of the helmet that concealed his face that Dean didn't think it was that funny. "Oh! Just cause I'm a football player makes me stupid huh?" he suddenly snapped at me.

Whoa! Touchy much? "Dude chill out, I didn't say you were stupid" I said.

But Dean wasn't about to let that insult go, "That's what "simple" means last I checked… **Naton**," he said before giving me a slight shove. "I'll have you know I get straight A's in all my subjects… while I'm sure you barely get better than a C minus," he said.

Oh! So it's like **that** huh? "Well yippee skippy for you Einstein!" I snapped back, "I'm sorry not all of us can study as hard as you because they have to spend more time trying to keep their parents from killing each other!" I snapped back, giving Dean an even harder shove back.

Dean suddenly slapped me, his palm making a loud, plastic "thunk" sound as it collided with my helmet. "Don't you talk to me about family problems dude! You don't know what I have to come home to!" he yelled.

I quickly recovered, "Oh no, did I ruin Mister Sunshine's happy day?" I said sarcastically, "Life sucks Dean, wear a helmet!" I yelled.

"You are such a jerk Kevin!" Dean yelled, "Just because **you're** miserable doesn't mean everyone else has to be!" he scolded me.

"Well excuse **me** for being realistic!" I fired back.

"You're not realistic Kevin! you're a pessimist!"

"And you're a child!"

An awkward silence followed after that, neither of us willing to attempt another verbal attack and instead choosing to allow the soft ambiance of the Tall Plains speak for itself. That was until…

"Are you two going to tear each other apart or what?"

Both of us slowly turned our heads to find what could only be described as a lama man in Aztec clothing looming over us. "Oh no, don't mind me, you two just keep throwing petty insults at one another, I'll wait," the Lama said. The Lama was clearly female judging by the sound of her voice. Her fur was a white like snow, with a few dark gray patches here and there. Her eyes a bright blue.

She jumped down from the cliff and landed right between Dean and I. "Do I get to ask who or what you two are and why you're here? Or do you have more dirty laundry you wanna throw at each other first?" she asked.

Dean and I both looked at one another, I could feel his eyes staring daggers at me from under his black visor. I decided to be the one to break the silence, turning to the Lama, "You first," I said.

The lama rolled her eyes, "Fine, I'm Kala… I'm with the Attlawa tribe… ya know… the ones who's wheat harvest you're currently ruining with your grubby white boots?" she said.

Dean, of course, took the opening, "Oh don't be too surprised, Kevin kinda has a thing for ruining people's day," he scoffed at me.

Okay, I am **not** going to sit here and be double teamed by Dean and a freaking Lama! "We're here on important business if you must know," I said to Kala. "So if you could kindly get out of our way… I'd greatly appreciate it," I said before trying to walk around her, only to be stopped by what I **think** is some kind of staff. Kala used it to push me right back to where I was before.

"Not so fast there blue boy," she said. "We Attlawa aren't exactly fans of outsiders," she snarled. "Especially if you're here to **take** something from us, which you clearly **are**," she said.

Dean quickly walked over to us and gently shuffled me aside, "Forgive Kevin, he's not exactly a people person," he said. Oh bite me rock boy! "We're trying to find something that might help us save our city, maybe you've heard of it? A plant called "Magesbane"?" he said in a calm voice.

Kala raised an eyebrow. "I have, rare flower, only grows here… but you're not getting any," she said.

"And why not?" I asked.

Kala gingerly shoved me back, "Because, like I said before, we don't like outsiders, especially those who are trying to take rare plants from us, so beat it before I call my fellow tribesmen and we beat you into the ground!" she growled, brandishing her staff just to show she wasn't kidding.

"_**Lance of Ice!"**_

I summoned my ranger weapon and pointed the tip of the lance right at her throat, "Mine's bigger," I said with a sly smirk from under my helmet.

But, of course. "Dude!" Dean interjected, smacking my lance away from the lama. "You're **not** helping Kevin!" he scolded me before turning back to Kala, "Look, I get you wanna protect your land, but thousands of lives are counting on us getting that plant! If we don't, then we can't stop Malefor-" Dean began to explain.

But Kala cut him off, "Wait… Malefor's back?" she questioned, fear clear as day in her eyes. "B-But that's impossible! Spyro sealed him away over fifty years ago!" she said.

"It's a long story," said Dean, "But that's why we're here, we're the Power Rangers, heroes Spyro hand picked to stop Malefor… but we can't do it without the Magesbane… please… help us," he pleaded.

Kala began to weigh her options, before finally coming to a decision. "Fine, but only because you said you're with Spyro," she said, "Follow me, I know where it is," she added before walking off, motioning for us to follow.

Dean turned to me, "You see what happens when you don't act like a jerk to people?" he said before going off to follow Kala.

I just rolled my eyes and followed the two, vanishing my lance since I wasn't going to be needing it right now.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Dragon Temple…**_

_**Spyro…**_

* * *

Ancestors… that was too close. Dean and Kevin almost came to blows with the Attlawa girl, thankfully my name still seemed to carry a bit of weight among her people. I briefly switched the focus of my vision back to New Harmony, checking to make sure-

Oh no…

The second I switched I found the Sorceress, leading an army through New Harmony's business district. She must have used her magic to heal herself! Dammit, I should have known Malefor wouldn't waste an opportunity like this. I cleared my vision and turned to Jess, "It looks like you're going to have to delay The Sorceress until Dean and Kevin can return with the Magesbane," I said.

I could tell just by the look on Jess' face that she was frightened. I hated doing this to her, but I can't leave the citizens of New Harmony to their fate. "Be careful out there," I told her.

Jess nodded and teleported out of the temple to confront The Sorceress. Ancestors, I wish Dylan was able to join her, but he wasn't in any condition to fight right now. I would have to hope Jess could hold her own out there until Dean and Kevin could complete their mission.

If they fail… if they fall… I'll never forgive myself…

* * *

**A/N: Well… ain't that fun? Hopefully Jess can hold her own long enough for Dean and Kevin to get that Magesbane.**

**I'm so sorry for the lengthy break between posts, but I needed to give myself some time off to rekindle my interest in writing. And since a certain virus who shall not be named has forced us all to go into quarantine for the foreseeable future, I might as well give you lovely people something to read that will hopefully distract you from wondering why people chose toilet paper of all things to hoard.**

**Viral outbreaks ruin everything!**


	15. Stand Together

**Chapter 14: Stand Together**

* * *

_**New Harmony Business District…**_

_**Jessica Fox…**_

* * *

I knew the second I beamed to the city that I was basically on a suicide mission, Spyro was right that my electric powers made me best suited for crowd control. But I wasn't stupid, I knew I was the weakest fighter of the group. I was a musician, not an athlete like Dean, or a martial artist like Dylan or Kevin. I was weak… my ranger powers were the only reason I could even defend myself against Malefor's minions.

But yet, here I stood. Bow in hand, watching as The Sorceress and her Grublin army marched towards me. My heart was beating hard in my chest with a mix of anxiety and anticipation. I could only hope that I'm able to stall The Sorceress long enough for Dean and Kevin to finish their mission. I had to be strong… just for a little while.

The Sorceress noticed me in no time, approaching with a smug grin stretched across her face. "Only one of you? How disappointing," she laughed.

I had to put on a brave face, I couldn't let her know how frightened I truly was. "More than enough to handle you, Sorceress," I lied. I knew I couldn't take her, not by myself. My only solace was that I didn't have to win, I just had to survive long enough for Kevin and Dean to return.

The Sorceress wasn't fooled, "Cute, but I think we're forgetting how things went the last time we met little Power Ranger," she mused. "Honestly, I was kind of hoping for the red one, he and I have a score to settle," she snarled.

I readied my bow, "I'll tell him you said "hi"," I said.

The Sorceress chuckled, "It's cute you think you'll get the chance," she said before turning to the Grublins. "Kill her!" she ordered them before they all charged at me.

I pulled back on the string of my bow, an electric arrow forming in place. Wordlessly, I released the string and shot the bolt of lightning right at the horde. A large chunk of the Grublins were instantly downed by the electric attack, but far more just stepped over their former comrades bodies and continued their approach.

I was forced to resort to melee attacks. Punching, kicking, and using the blades on my bow as slashing weapons. But it was becoming abundantly clear that the numbers game was going to catch up with me a lot sooner than expected. "Foolish girl! Did you really think **you** of all rangers would be able to stand against me by yourself?" laughed The Sorceress.

Not exactly, but I was hoping I'd be able to stall her for a lot longer than **this! **The crowd was getting really hard to hold back. The Grublins began to land more and more shots, slowly but surely chipping away at my resolve. But I can't die now! Not like this!

I swung my bow around my head, enhancing the attack with some elemental magic seemed to thin the herd rather nicely.

The Sorceress was, of course, not impressed. "Well at least you still have some fight in you," she said before out of nowhere she shot me right in the center mass with a magic blast! The impact sent me flying in an explosion of sparks before I finally landed painfully on the cold hard concrete. "Let's fix that, shall we?" taunted The Sorceress.

Crap! She caught me completely off guard! I'm so stupid, I should have known she'd try something like that! The Sorceress slowly sauntered towards me with a sadistic grin stretched across her face. "You may not be the ranger I was hoping to kill today, but I'm anything if not… adaptable," she said before pointing her staff right at me.

Suffice to say, things were looking quite grim. What I wouldn't give for some backup right now...

* * *

_**Meanwhile...**_

_**Dragon Temple Infirmary…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

My eyes slowly began to open… my body felt like it had gone ten rounds with a wrecking ball. I could tell I was in the Dragon Temple, I'd know those musty old stone bricks anywhere. I tried to get up, but was met with a metric ton of horribly screaming agony which forced me back onto the cot I had awoken on.

I remembered the fight with The Sorceress, how badly it went… how close I came to dying. The fact I was even still alive was a minor miracle. I'd hate to think what would have happened had I actually died back there… leaving the rangers without a leader… leaving my mom alone… the very notion sent a slight chill down my spine.

I decided to try getting up again, my attempt far less painful than the last one. I guess last time I was just dealing with the consequences of lying still in a bed for god knows how long. But that didn't mean it was a painless experience. I just wasn't overwhelmed by pain from every inch of my body was all.

"_You shouldn't be standing Dylan, your body is not only injured, but drained from that Dragon Fury you used," _lectured the voice of Ignitus. I just shook my head and kept going, I wasn't one for laying around and taking it easy. "_Do not confuse stubbornness with courage, young ranger_," scolded Ignitus, "_You need more rest_," he said.

"I'll rest when I'm dead," I said through gritted teeth as I continued down the halls of the temple. There wasn't much the old Fire Guardian could really do, he was just a voice in my head after all. "_You'd be surprised by what I'm capable of Dylan," _Warned Ignitus. "_It is only out of respect for your free will that I resist the urge to force you back into bed_," he said.

Hi, that's not creepy. Whatever, I had more important things to worry about than my mental roommate right now. Like where the hell the rest of my team was! I had expected at least one of them to be there when I woke up, but so far I haven't seen even a single sign of life in this place since I woke up.

Well… that wouldn't last long…

"Dylan! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

I had no clue where the hell Spyro even came from, but the second those words left his lips I suddenly felt his maw snare the back of my shirt. "Jou're in no condishin to be wanderin' aroun'!" Spyro lectured me, the effectiveness of which was completely undone by his speech being garbled due to the fact he had to keep his jaws locked onto the collar of my shirt.

Spyro then proceeded to drag me back to the infirmary, proving to be far stronger than I was as my attempts to even so much as slow Spyro were completely in vain. Spyro tossed me onto the cot, the bed making a rather alarming squeaking sound as my tush landed on it. "I'm fine!" I protested.

Spyro just glared at me before poking me in the rib with one of his claws. I tried my hardest to keep myself from yelping in pain but just couldn't hold it in. "Yeah, you **sound** fine," Spyro said sarcastically. "Look, I already have enough to worry about as it is, I don't need to worry about you re-injuring yourself on top of it," he lectured me.

Spyro then stopped himself, taking a deep breath and calming himself down before continuing. "I'm glad you're okay… I must admit, you had me worried for a moment there," he said.

I sighed, "Where is everyone?" I asked.

The look on Spyro's face was… odd. He looked like I had just stumbled upon a dirty little secret he really didn't want to share. This uncomfortable, nervous look. "Spyro… what's going on?" I asked.

Spyro spent an awkward amount of time just nervously darting his eyes around the room, looking for any excuse he could **not** to answer my question. But he couldn't seem to find one, so with a defeated sigh, he spilled the beans. "We may have found a way to defeat The Sorceress, a rare plant known as Magesbane… problem is it only grows in the Tall Plains… which is in the Dragon Realms..." he began to explain. "So I sent Dean and Kevin to retrieve it," he added.

Okay, that only accounted for three out of four of us. "And Jess?" I asked.

Spyro was **really** reluctant to answer that one… but he knew I wasn't going to be satisfied unless he answered my question. "Jess stayed behind in case Malefor tried to take the opening… and… well… he did," Spyro admitted. "The Sorceress is currently leading an army through New Harmony's business district," he said.

Wait… he sent Jess of all people to take on The Sorceress and Malefor's Grublin army by **herself**?! Is he out of his mind?! Almost out of instinct I stood up, ready to storm out of the temple and come to the yellow ranger's aid.

But the second I did, Spyro's uneasy expression turned aggressive in an instant. "NO!" he practically roared before forcing me back down. "You are in **no** condition to fight! You're staying here and resting!" he ordered me.

Like hell I am! I may be hurt but I can still fight! "I'm not sitting here while Jess gets killed!" I objected. Spyro definitely didn't look like he was going to back down. The very uncomfortable prospect that I might actually have to fight him was becoming a little too real for my liking. I took my morphing gem out of my pocket.

Spyro saw this instantly, "Dylan… do **not** do this," he growled, "I'm warning you, I **will** fight you if I have to, and you **won't** win," he warned me.

Sorry Spyro, but I'm not leaving Jess to fend for herself. "_**Dragon's Roar! RANGER FORM! FIRE!**_" I called as I slotted the gem into the morpher and soon enough I was the Red Ranger again. "I'm sorry Spyro, but I'm not leaving Jess to fight that army alone!" I said before leaping over his head, landing softly on the ground behind him.

"Don't be an idiot Dylan! You're mana hasn't recharged yet! I'm not going to sit and watch you get killed because you're too stubborn to know your own limits!" Spyro growled.

I tried to teleport out, but for some reason it wasn't working. "Don't bother, I'm blocking your teleportation," Spyro said. Seriously?! "Don't be stupid Dylan, de-morph and let your body heal!" he pleaded with me.

"Come on Spyro, you know Jess doesn't stand a chance out there by herself!" I said, hoping I could at least reason with him. "Let me help her!" I said.

However, I began to notice something… odd… happening to Spyro. At first I thought it was just a trick of the light, but it was becoming quite clear his scales were darkening. "NO! I won't let this happen! Not again!" he yelled. The room began to rumble and shake as Spyro's scales became jet black, his eyes losing their pupils, becoming pure white. "NEVER AGAIN!" he screamed, his voice becoming distorted.

Oh god… what have I done? I had no clue what the hell this even **was.** Some kind of evil demon mode? Was this a purple dragon thing I didn't know about? "Spyro… dude… calm down..." I said, slowly backing up from the clearly raging dragon.

However, the second I even came close to the doorway, a giant rock wall immediately rose in my path. "I have no intention of "calming down"!" Spyro growled, "You almost died Dylan! Do you have **any** idea what that was like for me?! Watching another friend knock on death's door? I've buried so many of my friends over the years… so many good people… but you don't care about that do you?! Who cares how I feel! What you almost dying did to **me**!" Spyro began to rant as the room began to shake more and more as his anger continued to build.

However, suddenly Spyro just… stopped. "No… no I can't… I can't let it control me again..." he said more to himself than me. His scales quickly returned to their usual purple color. "I'm… I'm sorry Dylan… I'm sorry you had to see that side of me," he apologized, his eyes having also returned to normal.

"What **was** that?!" I asked. It was a fair question, I didn't exactly expect my dragon mentor to turn into a rage demon before my very eyes!

"My brother Sparx always used to call it "Dark Spyro"," Spyro told me, "Do you remember the story I told you after you got defeated by Drillface? About the Well of Souls and me giving into anger? That's... what I was talking about," he confessed. God... don't remind of me of Drillface, those puns still haunt me. "Sometimes… when I'm under heavy emotional turmoil… I shift into a darker version of myself… I've been trying my best to keep it under control but..." he said, trailing off.

This was something that would have been nice to know about beforehand. That Spyro was basically The Hulk and became a rage monster when he got mad enough. But I'd worry about this later, I had a significantly more important problem to deal with and now that Spyro's calmed down, maybe he'll finally listen to reason?

It was worth a shot. "Spyro, I know you're just trying to protect me, and I appreciate that," I began. "But you and I both know Jess can't handle an entire army **and** The Sorceress by herself," I explained.

Spyro shook his head, "Dylan please, don't," he said.

"Spyro please… I know you just want to protect us, but you're not the only one who doesn't want to see a ranger die," I said. "Please… let me help my friend," I pleaded with him.

Spyro weighed his options, I could tell just by the look on his face, how much he really wanted to say no. But he knew it was pointless, so with a defeated sigh, "Fine… just, promise me you'll make it back," he said.

I nodded, "I will," I said before finally being allowed to teleport out.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Tall Plains… **_

_**Kevin Naton…**_

* * *

Kala had been leading us through the Tall Plains for what felt like an eternity. Not helped by the fact that everything here seemed to look exactly the same. Granted, the large wheat fields had quickly found themselves replaced by grassy hills. But it didn't take long for those to become boring and samey. "How much farther?" I asked.

Kala just rolled her eyes before turning to Dean, "Does the blue one ever stop whining?" she asked him. You do know I can hear you right?

Dean shook his head, "No, not really," he replied.

God did I want to sock Dean right in his stupid face right now! Why couldn't **he** be the one Spyro kept behind? At least Jess doesn't judge me or take cheap pot shots at my ego! "Maybe I just wanna get this over with? We **do** have a ticking clock ya know!" I said.

However, the two just ignored me as Kala finally came to a stop in front of some kind of stone door. "We keep our Magesbane crops in here, you won't believe how many people come here looking for this stuff," she said.

Dean looked over the door, "Cool, how do we get it open?" he asked.

"You don't,"

Crap! I knew this was too easy! I knew that voice belonged to Scorn, trust me… I've heard him ramble about how great a warrior he is enough to have it practically burned into my brain. Sure enough, the wolf mage was standing not too far behind us. "I should thank you for leading me to the Atlawa's Magesbane harvest, I'll be sure to burn it to cinders after I destroy you," he said before brandishing his sword.

Dean summoned his ax, "Looks like we're gonna have to fight," he said.

I summoned my lance, "Oh really? Are you sure we can't just ask him nicely to leave us alone?" I said sarcastically.

Dean turned to me, "Seriously? Are we seriously doing this right now?" he asked me.

"Hey! You and llama girl over there have been taking pot shots at me the whole way here! I'm owed a few zingers!" I snapped back.

Dean stormed up to me, "You are such a child! We're only "taking pot shots" at you because you wouldn't stop whining the whole way up here!" he scolded me.

* * *

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

This was not what I was expecting to happen when I came here. All I could do was stand there awkwardly as the two Power Rangers bickered like pups. Granted, I wasn't looking to win this fight, I needed them to get the Magesbane and defeat The Sorceress. But that couldn't happen if these two were more interested in fighting **each other** than **me**! "Hey!… Rangers! HEY!" I barked, but they didn't seem to hear me over their incessant arguing.

"You're always judging me dude!" complained the Blue Ranger, "What am I supposed to do? Sit there and take it?!" he asked.

"Dude when have I **ever** judged you?" cried the Green Ranger.

"How about right now for instance?!" Blue Ranger fired back.

Even the Atlawa girl didn't know what to make of this, just sitting there with her staff in hand, watching in disbelief as the two Power Rangers continued to tear into each other.

Dammit all! They're ruining **everything**! The one time I want the Power Rangers to defeat me and they instead continue to argue and argue! I couldn't resist sounding with a very loud growl of annoyance before my patience finally reached its breaking point! "WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP AND FIGHT ME ALREADY?!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, my voice echoing throughout the plains.

The two rangers were startled by my sudden outburst. But I wasn't done, "Honestly! You two are acting like puppies! Barking at each other over trivial nonsense while Malefor has The Sorceress destroying your precious city!" I lectured them. I cannot believe **I** of all people had to set these two morons straight! I'm they're sworn **enemy**! But yet, here I am! Playing parent with two of my most hated foes just to make sure my plan doesn't go up in flames! Unbelievable!

The two rangers seemed shocked, "Wait… The Sorceress is attacking the city?" questioned the green one.

"Did you really think Malefor wouldn't notice you two leaving for the Tall Plains?" I asked dryly. How the hell have these fools beaten me so many times? These morons were too stupid to **breathe**! Let alone save their worthless world! I didn't think I could hate the Power Rangers anymore than I already did, but here we are!

The two dolts looked to each other, as if trying to combine their single brain cell to realize the glaringly obvious ticking clock I just informed them of… ugh… Lord Malefor, give me strength…

* * *

_**Kevin Naton…**_

* * *

I already knew we had a time limit looming over us, but now that we **knew** Malefor was having the city attacked **right now** just made things so much worse! Jess was probably out there right now getting the stuffing beaten out of her, wondering why we weren't back yet.

But even worse than that was the fact that Scorn of all people was scolding Dean and I for bickering like an old married couple, and he was **right**! God… Dean's right, I really am a jerk! Jess was out there right now, possibly knocking on death's door and here I am wasting precious time defending my delicate ego! You know when the **villain** is pointing out how much of a colossal tool you're being, you've really messed up.

"Dean, he's right, we need to set this… thing between us aside and take him down before it's too late," I said.

It was hard to tell from under his helmet, but it was clear Dean wasn't exactly feeling very virtuous right now either. "Yeah… we should be fighting the bad guy, not each other," he said before offering his fist for a fist bump, "Truce?" he asked.

"Truce," I said as I bumped his fist.

We both turned to Scorn, "Alright dog boy, time to send you back to the pound!" I said.

Oddly, Scorn almost seemed… **relieved** by that. As if he wanted us to get our acts together… why he would want that when he could have just offed us while we were arguing I'd never know. Villains are weird like that I guess. "Come then! Lets dance!" Scorn challenged us.

The three of us clashed, however things just kept getting weirder. I don't want to start assuming things… but it kinda felt like Scorn's heart wasn't in this fight as he was making obvious mistakes. Letting hits land that he really shouldn't. Maybe we just caught him on a bad day?

I managed to score a mean slash right across Scorn's chest, sparks flew as he flopped harder than a soccer player trying to get a red card! I give him a nine for perfect form though. "Argh! You have bested me Power Rangers!" he said.

Dean and I were both completely lost… Scorn was usually pretty tough. But here? One dinky slash across the chest and he's already crying for mommy? "But mark my words! I will be back!" he proclaimed before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

All three of us just stood there, not sure what the hell just happened here. "Is he usually that easy to beat?" Kala asked us.

"No… no he is not," I replied.

I know we should probably be questioning this more, but this was kind of a blessing in disguise considering the very tight time limit we currently had. Kala headed back to the stone door, she knocked her staff against four specific points of the door before it suddenly flew open, revealing several purple flowers sitting in pots. Kala took one and placed it in Dean's hands. "Here, one Magesbane flower," she said.

Dean nodded, "Thanks for helping us," he said.

Kala just waved it off, "Just make sure you guys stop Malefor and we'll call it even," she said.

With that, Dean and I said our goodbyes before teleporting out, hopefully we weren't too late.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Back in New Harmony…**_

_**Jessica Fox…**_

* * *

The Sorceress was getting **way** closer with that staff than I liked, but I was still too rocked by that magic attack she hit me with to do little more than just lay there and gawk at her like a dead fish. "Now little ranger… it's time to die," she said as she raised her staff high above her head, ready to deliver the final blow. I braced for the impact, but it never came.

"_**Elemental Power! BLAZING SLASH!"**_

Suddenly a wave of fire came from out of nowhere, startling The Sorceress and forcing her to jump to safety at the last minute. The Grublins that were with her at the time weren't so lucky and were incinerated by the blaze.

A pair of white boots landed right in front of my view, "Is this a private dance or can anyone join in?" joked the voice of my apparent savior. I knew the voice well, it was Dylan, swooping in for the last minute save. How he was in any condition to fight I'd never know, but considering he just saved my life I wasn't about to complain.

The Sorceress was at first furious, but her grin returned when she saw who it was that just arrived on the scene. "Ah… Red Ranger… I was hoping I'd run into you… we have unfinished business," she said.

Dylan turned to me and offered his hand, "Trying to take on The Sorceress and a Grublin army by yourself? Man Jess… you're even braver than I am," he said with a slight chuckle. I took his hand and he helped me back to my feet. "Figured you could use a hand," he said in a much more serious tone.

I nodded, "Yeah… thanks," I said. I suddenly found myself staring at Dylan a lot longer than intended. I don't know what came over me, maybe it was the fact he just saved my life, or how the light really brought out the brilliance of the red in his suit. He just looked so… "dashing" for lack of a better term. I then remembered the situation we were currently in and shook it off. "We still need to buy Dean and Kevin more time to get the Magesbane," I told him as I took a fighting stance.

Dylan nodded, "I'm sure I'll find out what "Magesbane" is later, but if it can help us stop The Sorceress, I'll buy us all the time in the world," he said.

However, we should have been paying more attention to The Sorceress, as she took advantage of the momentary distraction and fired a magic blast which sent the two of us flying back. "I don't know what it was you two were scheming, but it won't work!" she snarled. "I took on all four of you without even breaking a sweat! Imagine what I can do against just **two** of you!" she said.

Dylan seemed to be struggling to get up, I could hear him winching in pain from underneath his helmet. It was clear he was still hurt from his last fight with The Sorceress. But it was also clear he wasn't about to let that stop him from helping me either as he forced himself back to his feet. "That all you got you withered old prune?" Dylan challenged her.

The Sorceress said nothing, simply charging at us as she brandished her staff like a club. For how old and uh… "robust" she was, she was surprisingly efficient with her staff. She blocked and countered our attacks with ease, even managing to clock me right on the head with it at one point. Thank god these suits come with helmets.

"Do you two really think you can win this fight?" asked The Sorceress, "You can't even **hope** to hurt me! All you can hope to do is delay the inevitable!" she said before blasting us both back with another spell. "Enough games, time to end you," she said but once again found herself cut off by a sudden volley of ice shards.

"Someone's getting ended today, but it's not them,"

Suddenly Dean and Kevin landed in front of us, Dean holding some kind of potted plant in his hands. Dean turned to us, "Sorry we're late guys, ran into a little trouble along the way," he said.

They quickly got back to her feet, "I was wondering where you two were," she snarled, "Now I can kill you all at once and be done with it!" she said.

"We'll see about that!" said Dean before tossing the potted plant in the air, "Jess! Catch!" he said.

I leaped high into the air, catching the plant with one hand before landing softly onto the ground. This had to be the Magesbane! I ripped the flower from the pot and pulled back on the string of my bow, allowing the arrow to engulf the plant. "Hey Sorceress!" I called, getting the old hag's attention, "Time to take your medicine!" I said before firing the arrow.

The bolt hit her right between the eyes as the magic from the plant mixed with the arrow, causing a large and purple explosion that sent her sailing through the air.

Some bellowed from her body as shock washed over her face when she saw her staff, now disenchanted, shattered upon impact with the pavement. "Wh- What is this?!" she questioned before she finally pieced it together, "Magesbane! That's where you two went to the Tall Plains!" she said.

Kevin crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side, "Figured that out all on your own huh? You get a gold star!" he mocked her.

Dylan stepped to the front of the group, "Alright rangers, time to finish this old bag off! Form the _**Ultimate Dragon Roar Cannon!"**_ he called.

"_**Ax of Earth!"**_

"_**Lance of Ice!"**_

"_**Bow of Lightning!"**_

"_**Sword of Flame!"**_

With Dylan's sword attached to the others, the final piece of the Ultimate Dragon's Roar Cannon was formed. We all lined up, ready to blast The Sorceress to smithereens.

"_**Ultimate Dragon Roar Cannon! READY!"**_

The Sorceress fumbled to her feet, but her eyes soon became wide as dinner plates when she saw our cannon pointed right at her. "No! Not like this!" she cried but it was too late…

"_**FIRE!"**_

The blast hit her at full force, she cried out in agony as the power of all four dragon elements tore through her. When it finally stopped, The Sorceress was a burnt and bloody mess, but somehow she managed to survive. It was only when I saw something vanish in a green mist did I realize she had tried to use a magic shield to protect herself, but her greatly diminished magical power had only allowed it to be strong enough to prevent her from dying.

But she was clearly in no condition to fight, and you know what, maybe this is for the better? It's one thing to kill a monster that was never really alive to begin with, but The Sorceress wasn't just a monster, she was a living creature… I don't know how I'd feel about killing her. "This… isn't… over… Power...Rangers," she said weakly before vanishing in a magic fog.

Everyone began to cheer as the realization that we had **finally** beaten The Sorceress registered to us. Finally… it was over… we not only survived… we **won**!

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

I returned to the main chambers of the mountain only to find The Sorceress limping along the halls, I couldn't fight back a satisfied smirk as I realized my plan had worked to perfection. I never thought I'd ever be happy the Power Rangers won… but today… I was _ecstatic_.

Malefor came into the room, looking upon the battered and beaten Sorceress with an unimpressed expression. "So… failed again I see," he said.

"Not… my… fault..." The Sorceress stuttered. Oh, how satisfying it was to see this old crone as broken and defeated as this. I would savor this memory for the rest of my days. "How… did they… find out… about Magesbane?" she said more to herself than Malefor.

However, "I guess that's going to forever remain a mystery, isn't it?" Malefor said before grabbing The Sorceress by the throat.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" She questioned. A question I myself would like to know the answer to… although unlike her, I think I really did like where this was going.

"You thought yourself my superior… that you could come in here and show **me** how to deal with the Power Rangers… but instead they leave you like they have so many of my monsters… broken and useless," he growled before motioning for someone to give him something.

Rikor soon came from another hallway, holding some kind of crystal. He handed it to Malefor who grew a sinister grin as he brought it into The Sorceress' view. "Suffice to say, I have lost my patience with you Sorceress," he said before the crystal and The Sorceress both began to glow with purple energy.

The Sorceress and I both realized what was happening, he was sealing her in the crystal! I couldn't stop myself from laughing as the crystal sucked in my former mentor. The Sorceress saw this and finally pieced it together. "YOU! You did this! You told them about the Magesbane!" she accused me, but the second that accusation left her lips she was finally imprisoned.

Malefor then slowly turned to me, his glare made me remember… she just accused me of betraying her… betraying Malefor! "M… My lord… I… I can explain!" I tried to explain but kept tripping over my own words.

"Explain what? That you and Rikor went behind my back and gave the Power Rangers the keys to defeating your former mentor?" inquired Malefor. Oh no… he **did** know! He probably knew all along! However… a smile suddenly crept up his maw. "Good job Scorn," he said.

Now I was confused, "Wh-what? B-But my lord… I… I worked against you! I-I don't understand!" I said, completely lost.

"I knew about you and Rikor's little plan the second you sent them that message, I've become very keen at sensing magical energy," Malefor explained. "But I allowed it for _one_ simple reason… the Power Rangers are **mine** to destroy… I wasn't about to allow some withered old crone take **my** chance at revenge against that infernal purple dragon Spyro away from me…" he revealed.

"So… so you knew," I said, "But you allowed it to happen anyway?" I added.

Malefor nodded, "I wanted The Sorceress humbled, and that is what I got," he smirked. But his expression quickly grew more serious, "But be forewarned, Scorn… if you **ever** try to go against me again… you'll **wish** I only trapped you in a crystal," he warned me before leaving me alone in the chamber…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Hallways of New Harmony High School…**_

_**Kevin Naton…**_

* * *

Going back to school after everything that had happened to day, trying to act like nothing happened, it was really weird. I'm just glad the old bathroom excuse still works…

I was cleaning out my locker and getting ready to head home when Dean suddenly leaned on the locker next to me. "Hey… Kev… can we talk?" he asked.

I sighed, I kinda had things I wanted to talk to him about too, but I really didn't want to bring them up in front of Dylan and Jess. "Yeah, I kinda wanna talk to you too," I said. Catching the rest of my classes had given me a lot of time to think about they way I had acted towards Dean, what my stupid ego had almost cost us. "I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you… I put my ego above my duty as a Power Ranger and it could have cost us everything…" I apologized.

Dean sighed, "You wouldn't have had to do that if I hadn't given you such a hard time, I should have known better than to fly off the handle on you over something **Cyril** said," he apologized. "I just… I hate that people think I'm dumb because I'm a jock…" he confessed.

"I don't think you're dumb Dean," I said, "I guess I was just jealous that you could look on the bright side of things while I could only ever find the bad stuff, and I guess I just convinced myself it was because you were naive instead of just a more positive person than me," I explained. It was one of the realizations I had come to while in class… that I wished I could be as optimistic about life as Dean was… that I could stop being a cynic for once and look at the glass half full instead of half empty.

Dean shot me a weak smile, "It's not easy being the positive guy, especially when I have my own baggage, but… I learned a long time ago that if you focus too much on the bad things, you lose focus on all the good things that make life worth living," he said.

I chuckled a little, "Look at you getting all profound," I said before offering him a handshake, "Friends?" I asked.

Dean smiled and shook my hand, "Friends," he confirmed. "Come on, let's go grab a bite to eat, my treat," he offered before we both walked out of the school together… both having learned a valuable lesson.

* * *

**A/N: And finally, The Sorceress arch comes to a close.**

**I'm personally glad I can put this arch behind me and focus back on catching this story up with the original. Which means… those of you who are familiar with the original version of this story… yes… **_**he's**_ **coming… soon.**

**I'm trying to see if I can get an "every other day" upload schedule going, something that's probably only going to last until the world stops being in quarantine and I can go back to my normal life, which will probably change to a "once a week" uploading schedule like this story used to have before I took my break.**

**Update: I'm re-reading the story to try to remember plot details and immediately I proved why this was important. Apparently I had forgotten that Spyro had mentioned his darker self earlier in the story, so I altered dialogue to reflect that.**


	16. Pride Before The Fall

**Chapter 15: ****P****ride Before the Fall**

* * *

_**New Harmony National Park…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

It had been a whole week since The Sorceress went down. Things had gone back to… I don't know if "normal" is the right term for it. I mean… I don't think anyone would consider fighting monsters "normal". Today's monster was a pretty good example.

Crowverload… an electric crow. A monster I'm sure Malefor only made because the pun was irresistible. The more the thing cawed, the stronger it's charge got. Oh and in case you're wondering, yes, it **does** feel the need to spew endless electricity puns while it does this.

"You'll get a real _charge_ out of this rangers!"

See what I mean? Crowverload proceeded to send out a strong burst of electric energy at us, sending us all flying back. "Am I the only one getting sick of this stupid bird's shrill, annoying voice?" Kevin asked as he got back up.

Dean summoned his ax, "The only way we're gonna get it to shut up is if we take it down," he said.

"But how? With all that electric energy he has, it's hard to get close," said Jess.

I looked around before noticing a lake nearby. "Then we use it against him, let's see if he'll enjoy a nice dip in the lake!" I said before brandishing my sword, _**"Elemental Power! Blazing SLASH!"**_ I called out, the force of the flames pushing Crowverload towards the lake.

"CAW! Is that the best you've got Power Losers?" Crowverload scoffed. "Power Losers"? Why do all of Malefor's monsters have the wit of a grade school bully? Pathetic.

Dean leaped over my head, "You want more, bird brain?" he asked before coming down onto the ground ax first, _**"Elemental Power! Rock Slide!"**_ He called out before the rocks dug out from the ground rushed to make Crowverload's acquaintance, pushing him further back.

Kevin was up next, bounding over Dean and coming down with a vicious slash with his lance _**"Elemental Power! Frozen Slash!" **_he cried as the blade hit it's mark, freezing Crowverload solid and knocking him closer to the lake. "Okay Jess! Send it over the top!" said Kevin.

Jess pulled back the string of her bow, _**"Elemental Power! Lightening Shot!"**_ she cried before the arrow was shot, the impact shattered the monster bird's icy prison and causing him to fall right into the water.

The second Crowverload's body hit the water sparks began to fly in all directions. It was like if someone dropped a toaster into their bathtub. Crowverload began to scream and flail around as his own electricity turned on him. Eventually it became too much and the monster exploded into a fiery inferno.

And another monster bites the dust.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Malefor…**_

* * *

DAMMIT!

Yet another monster fall, yet another humiliating defeat at the hands of those infernal Power Rangers! I thought for sure Crowverload would be the one to finally end them. But once again those infuriating humans managed to find a way to beat Rikor's creations! My patience was beginning to wear quite thin. I wanted to punish Spyro through his rangers, kill them so the guilt would eat him alive and finally break his spirit. But it was a bit hard to do that when the kept surviving!

It had been a whole week since The Sorceress fell, a full week of miserable defeat after miserable defeat. I almost wish Scorn's plan had failed and The Sorceress managed to kill them so I would be rid of them! I felt my anger build and build as I watched the Power Rangers celebrate another victory.

I have had **enough**!

"L-lord Malefor..."

I turned to see Rikor standing next to me, "Sh-should I begin work on another monster?" he asked me.

I was about to say yes… but then I thought about it. The last thing I wanted to do was bolster the Power Ranger's confidence even further with another ill deserved victory. "No… not this time," I said.

Rikor seemed quite confused, "My lord… I… I don't understand," he said.

"I'm tired of watching these infernal brats defeat these pathetic monsters of yours," I said. That's when the idea hit me… these monsters weren't getting the job done, but perhaps. "I think it's time I dealt with the Power Rangers… personally," I said.

Rikor's eyes widened, "But my lord! You're not at full power yet!" Rikor pointed out.

I couldn't resist a small laugh, "I do not need my **full** power to destroy these pathetic humans," I scoffed. "It is time the Power Rangers learned to fear my name," I growled before leaving to make preparations.

I was done playing games with these humans, it was time they learned who it was they trifled with…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Dragon Temple…**_

_**Spyro…**_

* * *

The rangers had returned after another successful mission. They've been doing quite well for themselves after beating The Sorceress, effortlessly plowing through monster after monster. Their training was going equally as well, I think they might actually be starting to fully master their powers.

"Congratulations guys on another successful outing," I said as the four rangers entered the main chambers.

Kevin chuckled, "As if we expected anything less," he said. "Malefor might as well be throwing bits of crumpled up paper at us at this point!" he laughed.

Dean put a hand on Kevin's shoulder, "He keeps throwing us weak sauce like that then this war will be over before he knows it!" he said.

Oh no… I didn't like the tone they had right now. I'm glad they have their confidence back after the whole ordeal with The Sorceress, but I didn't want them getting **so** confident they weren't taking Malefor seriously! "Hold on now," I said. "Let's not get overconfident here, lets not forget Malefor almost destroyed my world once," I warned them.

However, Dylan just shrugged, "Hey, maybe the guy has lost a step in the fifty years since you last danced with him?" he suggested. "It's kinda hard to be afraid of the guy when he keeps throwing jobbers at us like this," he said.

I tried not to fly off the handle at that. I know they're from a different world and weren't as familiar with Malefor as we Dragon Realmers were, but this was downright **offensive**. "Malefor is a lot stronger than the monsters he's sending after you," I said before I let a sigh escape my lips. "Look, I'm glad you guys are in high spirits, but don't let your string of victories go to your head, you never know what Malefor might pull off next," I warned them.

However, Kevin just waved it off, "I'm sure whatever Malefor has up his sleeve will be no problem for us," he said.

Okay that tears it. "Since you're all feeling so good about yourselves right now, I'm sure you won't mind if I decide not to postpone your training today," I said. The four ranger's moods instantly soured, I usually canceled their training for the day if a monster attack occurred that day. It was my way of trying to avoid overworking them and allowing them to get a little reprieve from ranger work. But I was **not** going to sit by and watch their heads swell to the point of bursting!

Kevin especially didn't seem to enjoy this revelation. "You've gotta be kidding! My shift starts in five minutes!" he objected.

"You should have thought of that before you allowed your victories to go straight to your head, One hour in the dojo! All of you! NOW!" I growled, and with a few whiny protests the four rangers did as I commanded and headed for the dojo. I hated doing that to them, especially to Kevin, as I knew how important his job was to him. But overconfidence was a death sentence when you went up against Malefor… and I was going to do whatever it took to keep them alive… I've already lost too much already.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Dragon Dojo…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

Wow, Spyro's mood did a complete one eighty back there. He went from congratulations to angry dad in a nanosecond. I mean, come on, how did he expect us to not get a little ego after his monsters fell over like dominoes?

"I can't believe this!" whined Kevin, "I'm gonna get fired all because our mentor decided to play angry parent," he protested.

Jess stepped forward, "Guys, Spyro kinda has a point, I mean… we have been getting a little too confident lately," she pointed out. "A little confidence is fine, but… what if it costs us?" she suggested.

Kevin just shook his head, "Jess, come on, dude tried to throw an electric crow at us today, I think the old Dark Master is running out of steam," he said.

I just sighed, "Come on guys, regardless of how easy it's been lately, keeping our skills sharp is still important," I said. Kevin and Dean both groaned and went off to go train.

Jess timidly approached me, I noticed she'd been acting a bit… odd… around me ever since The Sorceress went down. She'd been more nervous around me… a little distant. It was kind a weird. "D-Dylan… do you think maybe we could uh… you could help me improve my uh… hand to hand?" She asked me.

"Sure Jess," I replied before we both went to the center of the dojo. Despite how long we had been at this whole ranger thing, Jess was still the weakest fighter of the group. We've been trying to change that lately,

"Alright, first thing's first," I said before noticing Jess' stance was… horrible. She had her knees tucked inwards and her arms were too close to her body. "Your stance needs work," I said before walking over to her. I used my legs to move her legs into a much more acceptable position. "Always keep your stance wide, it makes you harder to knock down," I said before grabbing her arms and moving them to a better position, "And keep your arms out, it makes it easier to make quicker strikes," I told her.

Once Jess was in a better stance I moved in front of her to begin demonstrating. "Okay… the one thing about hand to hand is that every movement matters, sloppy attacks just leave you open for counters," I explained. "Throw a punch," I instructed her.

She threw a weak looking… I wanna say it was a hook but I really couldn't tell. "No, when punching you need to lean into it, use your legs to carry the motion," I explained before demonstrating. "See? Form is everything when it comes to martial arts," I said.

Jess nodded, "R-Right… of course," she said before I decided to stand next to her to help her get her punching forms down. I began to repeat the punching motion until she was finally able to replicate it. It took her more than a few tries, but eventually she seemed to get it down.

I admit, I probably wasn't the best teacher she could have, I myself had to relearn most of my Tae Kwon Do forms after years of not practicing it. But my hope was that eventually, we'd get her on the same level as the rest of the group.

* * *

_**Jessica Fox…**_

* * *

Dylan was trying his best to pass on his martial arts knowledge onto me. But all I could think about as he stood so close to me was how close he was to me right now. I don't know what was wrong with me, I never used to get like this around Dylan, but ever since he saved me from The Sorceress… it's like I've been seeing him through a completely different lens.

When he was correcting my stance, his body being so close to mine, I felt weirdly safe. Like nothing could hurt me when I was in his strong arms. I've never quite felt like this about… well… **anyone** before. I must confess, it was making practicing hand to hand a bit difficult.

I could hear Volteer's chuckling from the back of my head, _"Oh Jessica, forgive me for being so audacious… but I believe you have become infatuated with the young Red Ranger,_" he said between giggles. I felt a surge of embarrassment surge through my body. No… no that can't be what's going on… can it? Am I developing a crush on Dylan? _"Why do you say that as if it were a problem? Love is nothing to be ashamed of, my dear,"_ Volteer asked me.

I turned to Dylan, his long brown hair shimmering in the torchlight of the dojo, his eyes sparkling like amber. I couldn't deny how dashing he looked, but… no it could never work. He was so much braver, so much more outgoing and strong. Meanwhile, I was so timid and fragile… not to mention that if things didn't work out… it would throw the whole team off. I couldn't let something as trivial as puppy love put the whole world at risk.

"_Oh Jessica… you still have such a poor opinion of yourself,"_ Volteer said sadly. _"The world may rest on your shoulders, but that does not mean you should sacrifice your happiness,"_ he told me. "_Besides… that sounds like more of an __**excuse**__ than an actual reason to keep your feelings locked away,_" he added.

"Jess?"

I was snapped out of my mental conversation by the sound of Dylan's voice. "Are you still there? You looked like you were in a trance?" Dylan asked me.

"Y… Yeah, I'm fine, just spacing out," I lied. I can't just tell him. What if it isn't really love? What if I just loved what he **did** for me? That's not real love… besides… I'm sure he could do so much better than someone like me…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

It just seemed so insane to me, to escalate things this much this quickly. But I wasn't about to question a dragon as powerful as Lord Malefor was. He was clearly fed up with the Power Rangers, and I'd be lying if I said we didn't share that in common. I longed to see the Power Rangers broken at my feet, begging for mercy before I cut their heads from their shoulders.

But this seemed so sudden, so brash. Malefor wasn't at full power yet. What if the Power Rangers destroyed him? Where would that leave The Order?

Malefor entered the room with an army of Grublins following closely behind him. He noticed me staring at him, "If you have something to say, Scorn, I suggest you speak now," he growled.

I took a deep breath, knowing full well that I might be inviting my own death by questioning Malefor. "My Lord… are you sure this is a good idea? You're not at full power yet and the Power Rangers are quite resourceful," I said quickly, ripping it off like a bandaid.

Malefor just glared at me, "It's unlike you to question me, Scorn," he noted. Oh no… here it comes… he's going to kill me I just know it. My worries were all but confirmed when he suddenly grabbed me by the throat, lifting me up high as I gasped for air. "Are you implying that I can't beat a couple of hatchlings in SPANDEX?!" he roared.

"Ak… My lord! Please! I… ek! I did not mean to insult you! Ek!" I gasped. I could feel his grip getting tighter, "I only… worry if we are maybe… rushing things too much!" I choked.

Malefor released me from his grip, sending me crashing onto the floor with a painful thud. "It is not your place to question me, Scorn," he said. "Be thankful I need you to lead the attack on the city in order to draw the Power Rangers out of their little hole or I would burn you alive!" he threatened me. "Now shut up and DO AS I COMMAND!" I roared.

I simply lowered my head in defeat, "Yes, my lord," I said before getting back to my feet and creating a portal to the city. The Grublins instantly ran through, me reluctantly following behind them. I really hope that Malefor knows what he's doing…

I looked around to where I was, some kind of colleseum if I were to hazard a guess. Humans in strange clothing surrounded me. They seemed to come in two sets, one group of humans were in pin stripes and black hats, while the others were in teal with black hats. A crowd of humans surrounded us and seemed confused by our sudden appearance.

I think the humans were playing some kind of game before we arrived. Hmph… what foolish creatures indeed. "Kill them all," I ordered the Grublins and they began their attack. The crowd that surrounded us quickly fell into chaos! Scrambling for any exit they could find.

Oh… if only they knew… that this was only the beginning.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Zord Bay…**_

_**Spyro…**_

* * *

I don't know why I do this to myself… I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment… but after that little episode with the rangers I felt the need to look upon the face of what I still considered my greatest failure.

The souless eyes of Dylan's zord stared back at me, almost as if silently judging me. It was no accident I had chosen the fire ranger to be the leader. That was always how I saw Ignitus, the strong but wise leader of the Guardians. It's hard to believe over fifty years had passed since he died. But a thousand years could pass and I would still feel like I could have done more for him.

The decision to base the rangers off the Guardians had been a deliberate one. When I was young, they had been the closest thing to family I had in the dragon world… as a young dragon who had just found out he had been living a lie his whole life… that meant so much more than any of them ever knew.

I still look back fondly on those days in the old temple before the Eternal Night changed everything. The only time I could remember where I was allowed to be a normal dragon, unburdened by destiny and fate. Getting to know the recently rescued Cynder, growing closer to Ignitus and The Guardians… Sparx still being his upbeat and jokey self. The seven of us… we were like this one big, quirky little family.

Ignitus' death had played thousands of times in my head… his final words practically burned into my subconscious. It was easy to forget the pain he felt up to his final days… he always felt like he owed me and Cynder. But he never realized he made up for it just for being there… offering me his guidance in a world I barely understood.

I wanted him to be the face of the world's new hope, along with his fellow guardians. It's what they deserved for all they had done for me and Cynder over the years. Losing each one of them was like a dagger to the heart. But at least the remaining three got to die on their own terms, peacefully and surrounded by those who loved them… unlike Ignitus… my greatest failure…

I never told the rangers about Ignitus… I didn't want to burden them with my own problems when they already had so much they needed to face. Maybe when this is all over I'll tell them who the dragons they wear as helmets and pilot as zords really were… but for now… there was work to be done.

However, my introspection was suddenly stopped when I heard the sounds of the Pool of Visions bubbling from the main chamber, signifying that Malefor was about to attack the city again. Odd… he usually limited his attacks to one a day…

I left the Zord Bay and entered the main chambers in order to see what strange monster Malefor would send after the rangers now. But when I looked into the pool, I found something… odd. There was no monster this time, instead Scorn was in some kind of stadium, having Grublins attack the spectators and athletes alike. Something about this didn't feel right… why would Malefor have Scorn attack so soon after the Rangers defeated one of his monsters?

"Rangers! We have another situation!" I called. In mere moments the Power Rangers quickly arrived on the scene. "Scorn is leading an attack on a stadium full of innocent people, you need to stop him before anyone gets hurt," I said.

Dean looked into the pool, "Oh man! I forgot there was a Sea Batters game today!" he said. "That many people in one place, there's no way they can all get out of there before they start getting picked off," he said.

Dylan nodded, "We'll take care of it Spyro," he said, _**"It's Morphin' Time!" **_He called before the rangers all took out their spirit gems and jammed them into their morphers.

"_**Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form!"**_

"_**Electricity!"**_

"_**Earth!"**_

"_**Ice!"**_

"_**Fire!"**_

After they finished morphing, the four rangers warped out of the temple to go deal with the wolf mage and his army of Grublins. All the while I just couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this than I was seeing right now…

* * *

_**Meanwhile..**_

_**Sea Batter's Stadium, New Harmony…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

Even I would think someone like Scorn would have more class than to just randomly attack a baseball stadium during a playoff game! But then again… I guess that is expecting too much isn't it? The four of us arrived to see the stadium was in chaos. Players and spectators alike were either fleeing in terror or trying to fend off the Grublins. "Alright rangers, let's send these Grublins back down to the minors!" I said before we all went straight to work.

I went straight for a pack of Grublins attacking a Sea Batters player who was trying to ward them off with his bat. "Need a hand?" I asked before flipping into the air and coming down on one of the Grublins with a flying drop kick, sending it right into the dirt. One Grublin tried to get me from behind, but I caught it's arm and simply flipped it right onto it's back before delivering a hard kick to one of it's buddy's faces.

The player looked at me with pure shock on his face, "Y-you're the Red Ranger!" he said. Man… how backwards is this? The famous baseball player is star struck by **me**.

But still, I'd rather not have him hanging around, "Nice to meet you too, but you should get out of here before you get hurt," I said before just barely blocking an attack from another Grublin.

The player nodded, "R-Right… oh man, wait until my kid hears about **this**!" he said before running off to safety.

Well that's one civilian I don't have to worry about anymore. However, no sooner had I finished dealing with that Grublin did Scorn come out of nowhere with a flying dropkick to my chest, knocking me right on my tush. "Red Ranger, I knew this attack would draw you and your pathetic friends out of hiding eventually," he said.

Hiding? For real? "Dude, if you wanted to set up a play date, there were better ways than ruining a baseball game!" I said before tagging Scorn right in the belly with a shuffle side kick. "Next time, just send us a tweet!" I suggested.

Scorn growled as he regained his balance. "I assure you Red Ranger, today's battle will be your last!" he said. Uh-huh, just like the last battle we had was "my last"? Or the one before that? Or the one before **that**? Scorn drew his sword, I summoned mine, and we both clashed. It kind of amazed me how far I've come since the first time Scorn and I crossed swords, back then I barely knew how to use one and had to rely mostly on ranger programming just to keep up with Scorn, now I was matching him blow for blow.

Something that seemed to be irritating Scorn a bit given he was flashing his fangs in a slight snarl. "You won't best me this time Red Ranger!" he said.

But the second those words left his lips I managed to disarm Scorn and slash him right across the chest. Sparks exploded from the wound as he spun around in the air before landing flat on his back. "I just did," I said before pointing the tip of my blade at his neck. "Ready to give up and go crying back to Malefor yet?" I asked him.

However, as soon as those words left my lips the ground around us began to shake. An earthquake maybe? No… no this didn't feel like an earthquake… this was something else. I heard Scorn begin to laugh. "Something funny, wolf boy?" I asked, trying to hide how uneasy I was right now.

Scorn grew a large, toothy grin, "Let's just say, if I was to go "crying back to Malefor"… I wouldn't have to go far..." he said before a large shadow draped itself over us.

I slowly looked to the sky to find the silhouette of a dragon slowly lowering itself down towards me. I took a few cautious steps back as the dragon landed right on the pitcher's mound. Dirt was blown in every direction by the mighty beat of it's wings as every Grublin in the stadium suddenly stopped fighting. Causing the rangers said Grublins were fighting to stop and stare as well.

My eyes widened when I finally was able to make out the dragon's form… when those piercing yellow eyes met mine… "Malefor?" I said under my breath.

Malefor craned his head in my direction, "Red Ranger… at last we meet in the flesh," he hissed. Oh man… this wasn't what I expected to be doing today… what was Malefor doing here?! Did he finally get fed up with us beating his goons and decided to take matters into his own claws?

I was trying my hardest not to show any signs of fear, holding my sword tightly in my hands, ready to strike at any moment. But Malefor saw right through my facade. "I can see you trembling Red Ranger… you are right to fear me…" he said. His voice was incredibly distorted, a lot like Spyro's was when he shifted into Dark Spyro. But even through that distortion, his voice retained a sort of elegance to it… like a classic Gothic horror villain.

Thank god I'm wearing a face concealing helmet right now, or else Malefor would see me sweating bullets. Fight or flight was starting to take hold. I had to choose the former, if I ran, Malefor would attack the civilians unfortunate enough to have not escaped by now. I swallowed my fears and charged the Dark Master, yelling at the top of my lungs with my sword raised high. With one slash of my blade, I hoped to end the Dark Master right then and there.

But Malefor would be a pretty lame villain if killing him were that easy. He instantly caught my blade in his claw. "The direct approach… interesting," he mused. "I see that infernal Spyro has taught you **nothing**," he said before he suddenly shot me with some kind of purple energy blast. The shot sent me careening into the visiting team's dugout.

I crashed right through the bench like it was made of cardboard. Baseball equipment slid down each side of the broken bench and right onto my dazed body. Man… this must be what being punched by god feels like…

I could see Malefor approaching the dugout, a bemused smirk plastered across his pale purple scales. "I must say Red Ranger, I was expecting more," he said before something caused him to stumble to the side. I couldn't tell from inside the dugout what had hit him. But got my answer when I saw Dean land on the ground.

"You forget there are four of us?" Dean asked before backing up, trying to get Malefor to chase him.

I saw Kevin enter the dugout while Malefor chased after Dean. He helped me back to my feet and out of the dugout. "You okay dude?" he asked me.

"Yeah… I'll be alright," I said.

I wish I could say the same for Dean, it didn't take long for Malefor to catch him. Dean was trying to fight him off, but Malefor effortlessly blocked every punch and kick Dean threw at him before answering with a powerful backhand to the side of Dean's head with sent him to the ground like a ton of bricks.

Without a single word, Kevin and I both rushed to Dean's aid, trying to attack the Dark Master but it was pretty clear we were out of our league when Malefor managed to smack us both away with a well placed tail swipe that sent us tumbling across the field.

To say this wasn't looking good for us would be an understatement, Malefor was handing us our collective behinds without so much as breaking a sweat!

Electric bolts rained down on Malefor as Jess tried to come to the rescue, and to her credit, she **did** seem to hurt him a bit. But he quickly shook it off, "You call **that** electric magic, child?" he asked, "Allow me to show you what **real** electric magic looks like," he said before firing his electric breath right at Jess.

It shot out so fast Jess didn't have time to even start dodging before she found several hundred volts of electricity surging through her body before exploding in a fiery inferno that sent her flying backwards.

It wasn't long before all four of us were on the ground, struggling to get back to our feet. "So these are the Power Rangers that have given my minions so much trouble? Pathetic!" he chastised us. "To think I actually began to consider you a threat to my mission!" he spat.

I finally managed to force myself back to my feet, "I'm not done yet you overgrown iguana!" I said. My body was hurting, but I knew I could still fight… I wasn't dead yet.

"I admire your courage, Red Ranger," Malefor said. "But believe me when I say you are only delaying the inevitable," he said.

I began to charge up my elemental power, I was going to need every ounce of it if I'm going to beat him. _**"Elemental Power! Raging Inferno Slash! Final Attack!" **_I cried as I slashed a giant wave of fire right at Malefor with my strongest attack.

A giant fireball exploded when the flame slash hit Malefor, however the amount of power I needed to make that attack happen took a lot out of me and caused me to collapse to one knee. Please let that have at least injured him!

But to my dismay, as the smoke cleared. Malefor was still standing there, he even mockingly dusted himself off before turning to me. "Was that the strongest fire you could muster, little ranger?" he asked me. Is it bad that the answer is "yes"?

Malefor then closed his eyes and began to take deep breaths. I questioned what he was doing… but when flames started to form around him I quickly realized what was happening. He was going for a Dragon Fury attack! _**"Elemental Power! Fire Shield!"**_ I called out, forming a fire shield around myself and my fellow rangers, and I braced for the hit.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Dragon Temple…**_

_**Spyro…**_

* * *

No! This can't be happening! What was Malefor even **doing** there?! This whole attack on the stadium… it was just a trap to lure the rangers out so Malefor could kill them, wasn't it? The Rangers didn't stand a chance against him! They couldn't even **dent** him!

All Dylan could do was form a shield and hope he and his friends could survive the blast! But I knew better, it wouldn't be enough, and I was right, as Malefor's fire fury tore right through it and cut through the ranger's suits like a hot knife through butter.

The all collapsed in a parade of sparks before being forcibly demorphed and finally hit the floor. Malefor laughed that same dry cackle I practically had burned into my memory… that same sickening confidence he wore when Cynder and I confronted him all those years ago. "Is that all?" Malefor asked, but the rangers were too beaten to respond. "Pity… I was hoping for more," he said before looking right at me. "Are you watching Spyro? I know you are!" he laughed. "Watch as I destroy your precious Power Rangers… I promise you… you'll join them soon enough," he said before preparing the killing blow.

I had to get them out of there! I can't watch them die like this! I won't! I focused as much mana as I could. Teleporting them myself took a lot of effort on my part, but I had to save them!

Thankfully, I managed to get them out just before Malefor could blow them away with his Aether breath. "What?! NO! NO!" protested Malefor. "Coward! This isn't over Spyro! I **will** destroy them! You can't protect them forever! Do you hear me?!" he cried before I forced the vision to vanish from the pool.

My heart was thumping hard in my chest, it was starting to hurt. I had come a razor's edge from losing all four rangers at once! I hadn't expected them to be able to beat Malefor, but I didn't realize just how much more powerful he was than they were!

I took a moment to calm myself down… I was no use to anyone if I let the anxiety get the better of me again. I couldn't do this anymore! This was the second time I was faced with the mortality of my rangers and I couldn't take another!

I turned to see the beaten rangers beginning to stir, slowly forcing themselves back to their feet. How can I do this to them?! They're just kids! They could have died back there! It wasn't right! It wasn't **fair**!

Dylan began to look around, noticing he was in the Dragon Temple again. "Spyro? What… what's going on?" he asked.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what must be done. "I can't do this anymore…" I said, the rangers all looked at me in confusion. "It isn't right! I can't do this to you!" I said before extending my claw out. "Give me your morphers! You're done!" I demanded.

The four rangers were completely shocked, I'd imagine they would be. But this needed to be done. I wasn't going to gamble with their lives any longer! I had no right to involve them in my war. It was wrong, Malefor was my problem not theirs.

"Are you serious?" questioned Kevin.

"Yes Kevin! I am! Give me your morphers! NOW!" I roared. "I'm not endangering your lives anymore! I can't watch you four die, I won't! I'll deal with Malefor! You four deserve better than to die for _my_ cause!" I said.

It was difficult to do this to them, but I'd rather this than watch them all be killed fighting a battle I should have ended over fifty years ago!

From this day on… the Power Rangers are no more…

* * *

**A/N: Uh oh! Looks like Spyro has had enough! Can our heroes convince Spyro to let them keep fighting the good fight? Or is this truly the end of the Dragon's Roar Power Rangers?**

**Happy Easter BTW.**


	17. The Fifth Morpher

**Chapter 16: The Fifth Morpher**

* * *

_**Dragon Temple…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

It took us a moment to realize that Spyro was completely serious about taking our morphers away. I'll be the first one to admit that Malefor handed us our collective rear ends back there. But I kinda felt like firing us from ranger duty was a bit extreme to put it mildly.

Obviously, none of us were all that willing to part with our morphers. After all we'd accomplished, all the battles we fought, how much we've grown since getting them, to ask us to just give our powers up like this was absurd. I guess the task of trying to talk Spyro down fell upon me, being the leader and all.

But I hadn't forgotten how the last argument I had with Spyro went, making him shift into Dark Spyro would **not** help us here. But… well… for the fate of the world I had to try. "Spyro… you and I both know that's not happening," I said.

"This isn't up for discussion! Give them back or I'll **take** them back!" Spyro snapped. Yeah this was going to take some work.

Once again I found myself faced with the possibility of having to fight Spyro. I know the smart option would be to just give in and surrender the morpher, but it wasn't the **moral** option. Spyro was letting his emotions get the better of him, he wasn't thinking straight. "You're right, this **isn't** up for discussion," I said, "We're not giving up our morphers, this is our fight too Spyro," I said, I placed my hand in my pocket, getting ready to morph if things went south.

Anxiety began to kick in when I noticed Spyro's scales begin to darken. "I'm warning you… I don't want to fight you, but I will if I have to! Last chance, surrender the morphers or else!" Spyro threatened us.

Well Dylan, in for a penny, in for a pound. "_**Dragon's Roar! Ranger From! Fire!" **_I called, transforming into my ranger form. "I don't want to hurt you either Spyro, but I'm not going to risk everything and everyone I love because **you** lost your courage!" I said before taking a fighting stance. I really doubted I could take Spyro in a straight fight, unlike me he actually **beat** Malefor. But I had to at least try, there was too much riding on us, too much to lose to allow Spyro to just take away our world's last line of defense.

Spyro glared at me, "Don't be stupid Dylan… you can't take me in a fight and you know it," he growled.

"_**Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form! Earth!"**_

Dean, now morphed, stood beside me. "How's about two of us?" he said.

"_**Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form! Electricity!"**_

Jess stepped to my right. "Make that three," she said.

"_**Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form! Ice!"**_

And finally, Kevin joined our side. "You really think you can take down all four of us at once?" he said.

Not a single one of us actually wanted to fight the dragon that had been our mentor for so long. But Spyro was being unreasonable, and hopefully this show of unity would be enough to sway him back to his senses.

But, of course. "Ancestors, forgive me for what I'm about to do," he said to himself before his eyes flared with energy before suddenly that purple stuff Malefor hit me with earlier exploded out of him, knocking us all over. "I didn't want to have to hurt you! But I'm not about to watch you four die in a war I never should have involved you in!" said Spyro.

Dammit! He was really going to fight us over this! I had to get up before- Dammit! Spyro instantly grabbed me by the throat and lifted me into the air. "I'm doing this for your own good, Dylan," he said before grabbing the gem in my belt and beginning to pull. I could feel my power fluctuating as he pried the jewel from its place! I thrashed around, trying to get free before he could forcibly de-morph me.

"Spyro! STOP! You don't know what you're doing!" I pleaded.

"I know exactly what I'm doing!" Spyro snapped back, "I'm protecting you," he added.

Goddammit! It can't end like this! Why won't he just listen to reason?!

However, just as all hope seemed lost, I suddenly lost control of my limbs. What the hell is going on? No sooner had that question crossed my mind, my body began to act on it's own, grabbing the arm Spyro was using to try to rip out my spirit gem. "SPYRO! ENOUGH!" roared the voice of Ignitus before my body kicked him right in the snout, forcing him to let go.

I finally began to piece together what was happening, I remembered when Ignitus threatened me that he could take my body over at any time but had too much respect for my free will to do so. That's what was happening here, Ignitus took over. I guess he figured if I couldn't reason with Spyro, he'd give it a shot.

Ignitus approached Spyro, "_**Sword of Flame!"**_ he called before summoning my sword. "I am sorry Spyro, but I cannot sit idly by and watch you turn on your own rangers like this!" he said. I have to say, being a spectator in your own body was a **weird** experience I couldn't even begin to describe. Ignitus pointed the blade at Spyro, "Do not get up!" he growled.

Spyro was in disbelief. Laying there with his eyes wide as dinner plates, "Ig… Ignitus?" he questioned.

I felt my body loosen a bit as a sigh escaped my throat. "Spyro… I know you are scared… I know you feel you must protect the rangers… but this is **not** the way!" Ignitus lectured Spyro. "These four brave humans are willing to risk their lives to save everything they've ever known and loved, how can you ask them to turn their backs on the world like this?" he asked Spyro.

"You don't understand!" Spyro snapped, "I already cost **you** your life… I can't go through that again… I can't watch these four good people die for a war they shouldn't have even been a part of!" he said.

"Spyro… my death was not your fault," Ignitus said. What the hell is he talking about? I'm so lost right now. "I told you right before it happened why I did what I did… because I had never done right by you or Cynder," he explained. Oh sure! Add more confusion to the pile! Who the hell is Cynder?! How much was Spyro keeping from us?! "I know better than anyone what it's like to drown in your own guilt… I wouldn't wish that fate upon anyone, especially not you," he said before vanishing the Sword of Flame and kneeling down in front of Spyro so they were face level. "Please… don't let guilt of all things be the end of what you've built here," he pleaded with him.

Spyro's eyes began to water, "H-How long have you been in there?" he asked. It was a fair question to be sure, but I kinda got the impression he wasn't getting what Ignitus was saying here.

"Long enough to know that you're making a mistake trying to take the Power Ranger's powers away," he said. "I may not speak for the others, but I know that young Dylan is very dedicated, and only wishes to protect everything he holds dear," he said before having himself a little chuckle, "He is also currently panicking right now, but he should be fine after I return control of his body to him," he said. Oh har har! You hijacked my **body,** dude! I preserve the right to freak out!

Spyro closed his eyes and tried to process everything, tears streaking down his purple face. "I don't want them to die, Ignitus… they're almost like family to me…" he confessed. I was kind of shocked, I didn't realize we meant that much to him. It certainly explained his actions a bit better.

"Then _trust_ in them, as I did in you" Ignitus said, "Do you think I enjoyed sending you out there? Praying to the ancestors every time you went off to rescue another guardian that you would return safely?" he asked me. "I wanted nothing more than to keep you in the temple with me, safe from those who would do you harm," he confessed. "But I knew that would be selfish, that the world needed The Purple Dragon, just as the world needs the Power Rangers now," he explained.

Ignitus then placed my hand on Spyro's shoulder, "It is okay that you want to protect your Rangers, it shows that you care about them, as any good mentor should their pupils," he explained. "But the hardest part of being a mentor, is knowing you must allow your pupils to come in harm's way, to where you cannot protect them, to trust them to pull through for the sake of everyone and everything," he said. "Please Spyro, trust in your rangers, as I did in you," he said before finally returning control of my body back over to me.

Apparently Ignitus' little body takeover trick had sapped all of my energy as I was forcibly de-morphed and collapsed to all fours. Spyro just laid there in complete shock, I doubt he was expecting to be talked down by his late mentor today. But I really **really** hoped it would be enough to convince him to let us keep our powers.

I felt Spyro place a paw on my shoulder as I tried my hardest not to pass out. "I- I'm sorry," he said. "Ignitus is right… I should trust in you four more than that," he said. "It was… It was just so hard… watching you four get torn apart by Malefor… it broke me," he explained.

I heard the other three rangers demorph. "Don't worry about it Spyro," said Dean, "We all lose our cool sometimes," he explained.

"Yeah man," agreed Kevin, "Just… ya know, maybe don't try to take our powers away next time?" he said.

Spyro chuckled a little, "Deal," he said before getting up.

I was still a bit worn out from Ignitus hijacking my body, but I at least wasn't at risk of passing out anymore. "So, what do we do now?" I asked, "We clearly weren't strong enough to beat Malefor," I admitted.

Spyro thought for a moment. "I think I might have an idea," he said. "Before I had made your morphers, I had at first planned on only making one ranger, using my own mana to power the morpher, but the results were a bit too successful," he said before leading us back to the Pool of Visions, showing us what this morpher looked like. "I asked Hunter to test it for me, the… the power overwhelmed him… he couldn't control it," he explained, showing us a vision of this Hunter guy wearing a purple ranger suit, purple energy sparking out in all directions, zapping everything in sight. "So I abandoned the idea and instead chose to go with a four member team," he explained.

I won't lie, watching Hunter get completely overwhelmed by the power of that morpher kind of frightened me. I couldn't help but imagine myself in that situation, trying to contain this power my body was clearly not meant to possess. "How does this help us?" I asked.

"I'd hate to risk someone else with that power, Hunter was pretty strong willed, he was lucky, but anyone else would have probably been scarred for life by what he went through," Spyro explained. "But I won't lie, that much power might be just what we need to turn the tides of power in our favor," he said.

"Yeah because it worked out so well for Hunter," Kevin commented before Dean elbowed him in the side.

Spyro sighed, "It will take time to acclimate the new Purple Ranger to their powers, if it's even possible at all," Spyro said, "But we need every advantage we can get if we're going to defeat Malefor," he said. "After my attempt with Hunter failed, I hid the morpher in the tomb of my late brother Sparx," Spyro explained. "You four are going to have to go to the dragon realms and retrieve it," he said.

Kevin nodded, "Cool, let's go get it then!" he said.

However Spyro just shook his head, "It's not that simple," he said. "Last time I sent you to the Dragon Realms, it was only two of you, sending all four of you, not to mention teleporting a morpher of such great power, would require a lot more mana," he explained. "You see, the Dragon Temple exists in a nexus in between the realms I designed in order to keep its secrets out of the wrong hands," Spyro told us.

"Sending you to the Human Realms is simple, since it's connection to magic is weaker and thus has far less interference," Spyro explained, "The Dragon Realms however has a very strong connection to magic, and thus a lot more interference, and I've already spent a lot of mana getting you four away from Malefor, not to mention that Aether blast I used on you guys," Spyro said, a hint of embarrassment in his voice when explaining that last part. "You four should go home for now, rest up, and when I've regained some strength I'll send you for the morpher," he explained.

That was understandable, we've all had quite the day and could do with some R and R. I know **I** needed a break after being beaten up by Malefor, blasted with Aether, and having my body hijacked by my dragon spirit… man, my life is really weird isn't it?

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

To say the mood in the mountain was significantly uplifted after Malefor's defeat of the Power Rangers would be an understatement. While they weren't dead like we would have hoped, dealing such a crushing blow to our enemies still felt quite sweet to say the least. However, Malefor had expended a great deal of energy during that battle, and needed time to recharge before attacking the city again. "Our enemy's backs are against the wall my lord, by the time you regain some strength, we should be ready to burn their city to the ground," I said as Malefor laid himself on the floor.

"Yes, and perhaps next time I'll be able to finally end those pathetic rangers once and for all," Malefor said. "I should have known Spyro wouldn't allow his precious rangers to die so easily, next time, I'll be sure to strike them down and not waste time boasting," he said.

Indeed, it would bring me great joy to watch Malefor lay waste to those infernal rangers, my only regret would be not killing them myself. But for now, they were beaten, demoralized… if only I could watch them wallow in despair in person.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Foutler Residence…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

Spyro had dismissed us with the order that we prepare for a long trip in the Dragon Realms. He knew where the morpher was, but he wanted us to prepare in case something happened and things became more complicated. I mean, fair enough, decades had passed since he hid the morpher, who knows what could have happened between then and now.

I personally didn't know how to feel about all of this, seeing how badly things went the last time Spyro tried to give the Purple Morpher to someone, I'd hate to do that to someone else. God, who would we even get to take the thing? I personally couldn't think of anyone I knew who was ranger material that wasn't already on the team. I'm sure Spyro would figure that out for us at some point.

I also still had a lot of questions, Ignitus' spat with Spyro had revealed a lot of things he hadn't told us. Far be it for me to pry into a dragon's personal life, but I had to wonder who Cynder was and why Spyro felt the need to hide her existence from us. I had tried asking Ignitus on the way home but he basically told me that it was better if Spyro himself told us. Ugh… dragons are complicated, man.

Going to my simple home after everything that had happened today was a strange feeling. It was so calm, so simple, a far cry from what my life had become as a Power Ranger. I mean… my body was recently hijacked by a spirit dragon! How do you go back to normal life after **that**?

I entered the house through the front door to find myself alone, I guess mom hadn't finished her shift at the hospital yet. I kinda lucked out with mom working during the hours immediately following school, I never had to explain to her why I was gone so often.

I guess I should start packing things for the trip to the Dragon Realms tomorrow…

However, before I could, the front door suddenly opened, mom appearing from behind it. "Oh, hey sweetie, you just get back home?" She asked me as she set her things down.

"Uh, yeah, I uh… spent the afternoon with my friends," I said. It wasn't exactly a lie to be honest.

"The hospital is getting ridiculous thanks to all these monster attacks, did you know they attacked the Sea Batters game today? So many people came in with injuries they got from either the monsters, or getting trampled by other fleeing citizens, I tell ya, it's crazy," she said.

I guess those were the unintended consequences of our little war with Malefor. I sometimes forget that there were innocent civilians caught in the middle of our battles sometimes. "Mom, if you're feeling overworked maybe you can ask the hospital for some time off?" I suggested.

Mom just shook her head as she plopped herself into a recliner. "No, no I'll live," she said, "Besides, the hospital is understaffed enough already," she added.

Part of me hoped I could end this battle against Malefor soon, the city's struggling to keep up with all the destruction and monster attacks. I hated the idea of Mom being stuck cleaning up after our messes. Maybe with this new Purple Dragon Morpher we could finally end this nonsense?

Speaking of, "Mom, me and my friends were considering going for a little camping trip tomorrow, ya know, getting out of the city for a bit," I said. Again, it wasn't a complete lie, I'm sure camping would be involved at some point, and I'm pretty sure warping to another dimension counts as "out of town".

Mom sighed, "I don't blame you, the city is so crazy lately, some time away might do you some good," she said. "But I want you to be sure you and your friends pick a safe spot, I'd hate for you to get involved in all this monster madness," she said. God, she had no clue how ironic that statement was. "If you don't mind, I'm going to take a nap… today's been crazy and I need some rest," she said.

I nodded, "I need to get ready for tomorrow anyways, love you mom," I said, she replied with a simple "love you too" before passing out on the recliner. I'm really glad Ignitus was able to convince Spyro to let us keep being Power Rangers, I'd hate to leave the world to the mercy of Malefor, especially with mom out there in the hospital trying to patch up his victims. Being a ranger made me feel like I was helping, making a difference, doing my part to keep not just her safe, but everyone in the city too.

The world needs Power Rangers… especially now with Malefor becoming confident enough to attack the city directly… I doubt after how badly today went for us that Malefor would be done attacking the city himself.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Cheetah Village, Valley of Avalar…**_

_**Zenith…**_

* * *

Another day, another supply run gone array. Ever since the Purple Dragon vanished from the realms, the battered remains of Malefor's dark armies had gotten bolder, attacking the cheetah village and if they were feeling especially bold, Warfang itself on occasion. Father and a group of cheetah warriors had gone for another supply run to Warfang and had apparently been ambushed by a pack of apes on the way back.

One of the cheetahs, Kidus, inspected the supplies. "How bad was the damage Swiftfoot?" he asked my father.

Father sighed, "They managed to get a few of our supplies, but most of the party is unharmed," he said.

Kidus raised an eyebrow, "Really? Usually they go for blood, you actually manage to fight them off?" he asked.

But father shook his head, "No, but someone else did," he said. "It was the strangest thing… a flash of purple light dashed through the woods, cutting down every ape that tried to make for the supplies," he explained. "I've never seen anything like it before in my life," father said as I approached.

"Father," I greeted him.

"Zenith," he greeted me back, "We could use your help unloading the supplies, I'm not exactly getting younger and I may have thrown my back out getting the supplies into the cart," he said with a slight laugh.

I smiled and let out a weak laugh, "Of course father, I'm just glad you and your party made it back to the village in one piece," I said before going to help the other cheetahs unload the supplies.

While I did this, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on father's conversation with Kidus. "So, this "purple light" you saw, do you think it could be him? The purple dragon?" he asked.

Father shook his head, "No, the figure was too small, I couldn't quite make it out in the shadows, but it looked cheetah sized," he explained. "I don't know who or what it was, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thankful it showed up when it did, I don't think the party would have survived the attack otherwise," said father as I moved the supplies to their pile.

After I was done I excused myself and moved to a hidden location in the village. Moving my purple cape aside I revealed a complex device adorned to my right wrist. My face reflected in it's purple emblem. I had found the device about a month ago and, while I still struggled with its power, I've been able to make a real difference with it.

I ran my paw across the device, "Don't worry father, I will ensure the great Avalar Cheetah Village remains strong and proud," I said before heading home for the night. There would be more work to be done by tomorrow morning…

* * *

**A/N: Ooooh… ominous.**

**It seems the Purple Dragon Morpher already has an owner, I'm sure that won't cause any problems for our heroes…**


	18. Defender of Avalar

**Chapter 17: Defender of Avalar**

* * *

_**New Harmony High School….**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

I never really considered myself the type of student to nervously stare at the clock, waiting anxiously for the school day to end, But today wasn't exactly a typical day by any means. Today was the day we were supposed to begin our quest for the Purple Dragon Morpher in the mystical Dragon Realms. Mom was convinced that I was just going on a camping trip with my friends, ironically she's only letting me do this because she wants me away from all the monster attacks the city is currently suffering from. In a way, she was kinda getting what she wanted. Malefor was laser focused on destroying the Human Realms, leaving us to freely explore this other world that had apparently been co-existing with our own for god knows how long.

Trying to focus on typical high school stuff was pretty laughable. How could I possibly care about Cold War tensions or Algebra when I was about to hop dimensions as soon as that final bell rang? I wonder what the Dragon Realms is like? Kevin and Dean had been there before, maybe I should ask one of them?

_**RRRRRIIIIIING!**_

God, finally! Everyone excitedly got out of their seats, all ready for their weekends off. But I doubt any of them were going to have a weekend that would ever quite compare to the one I was about to have. I grabbed my bag and headed towards the parking lot. That was the spot we had all agreed to meet before headed to the Temple. I had made sure to pack some supplies for the trip in my backpack before leaving for school today. It wasn't much, just enough to get us through at least a few days. I really didn't expect to be staying long, just long enough to get the morpher and maybe sneak in some sightseeing.

It didn't take long to find the other rangers all standing in a circle. "Hey guys, we ready to go?" I asked as I approached the group.

Dean nodded, "Yeah man, I've got everything I need right here." he said, showing off his Nike duffle bag.

Jess smiled, "Yeah, I can't wait to see the Dragon Realms," she commented.

Kevin rolled his eyes, "It really isn't much to look at," he said, "The Tall Plains was just a boring field," he said. Well hopefully the part of the Dragon Realms Spyro would be sending us to would be a **bit** more exciting than that.

"Remember guys, we're primarily there to get that morpher," I said, "I mean, I'm sure Spyro won't mind us taking in some of the sights, but priority number one is the morpher," I explained. Everyone nodded in acknowledgment, before we all checked to see if anyone was looking before finally warping to the Dragon Temple.

The instant we appeared there, Spyro was sitting there to greet us. "You four certainly didn't wait long after class let out to get here," he commented with a slight laugh. "I assume you all are ready to head to the Dragon Realms?" he asked us.

I nodded, "Yes sir," I said.

Spyro nodded, "Good, but before I send you there I want to make one thing perfectly clear," he said, "The Dragon Realms aren't like the Human Realms, danger lurks behind every corner," he warned us. "So be on your guard, and no matter what happens, your top priority is getting that morpher, without it we stand little chance if Malefor makes another attempt on New Harmony," he explained.

We all nodded, showing that we understood. Spyro smiled a bit, "Very well, as I said before, transporting you to the Dragon Realms takes a lot of energy, I'll try to get you four as close to the morpher's hiding place as I possibly can, but it's on to you four to find it," he explained before tossing me a map. "That map should help you four navigate the Dragon Realms, but I'm sure your Dragon Spirits will be able to guide you," he said, making a point to stare directly at me after that last bit.

I could tell Spyro was still trying to come to terms with the fact that we had his old mentors hanging out in our brains. I doubt the thought sat well with him, I mean, I wouldn't exactly be very thrilled that I condemned my mentors to a life trapped in a stupid teenager's head either.

Spyro then closed his eyes and began to concentrate, energy began to swirl around the four of us as we finally began to warp to the Dragon Realms. "Be careful out there," Spyro told us before we suddenly found ourselves in the Dragon Realms… or at least what I was **assuming** were the Dragon Realms.

Funny… the Dragon Realms seemed to look a lot like a swamp. The ground beneath us could only be described as… ugh… "moist". The smell was pretty pungent too… how nice.

Kevin wasn't enjoying himself much either, as he looked downright miserable. "God! Can't Spyro ever send us to the nice parts of this stupid dimension?!" he whined. So far the Dragon Realms were a bit underwhelming to say the least, when I heard about it, I had visions of sprawling castles and valleys of molten lava… but instead I get the Louisiana Bayou but with cartoonishly large mushrooms instead of rednecks.

"Come on guys, we gotta find that tomb and get that morpher," I said before taking my first few steps. My sneakers instantly begin to sink in the damp muddy floors of the swamp. Ya know, ranger work truly is one of the most rewarding vocations… ugh.

I took out the map, Spyro had thankfully thought to mark where Sparx's tomb was for us. But where we were in relation to it was a bit of a problem. "Now we just need to figure out where **we** are," I said.

Kevin walked ahead of us, "He couldn't just warp us there? Seriously, how hard would that have been?" he complained before suddenly, out of nowhere, some kind of long pink tongue latched onto him! Kevin yelped in surprise as the tongue began to drag him across the swamp floor. "GUYS! DO SOMETHING!" he cried as he struggled to get free.

The three remaining rangers all gave chase until we found what it was that was trying to reel poor Kevin in like a fish. It was some kind of weird plant… frog… thing. It even went "ribbit" like a frog! Kevin struggled to get himself free as the frog plant opened its "mouth" wide to presumably swallow him whole. "Hang on Kevin! I'll get it!" I said before running up to the plant.

One hard flying kick to it's midsection was enough to get it to lose its grip on Kevin, who flopped face first into the mud with a wet splat. "I hate this place," Kevin groaned as Dean and Jess helped him to his feet. A few more kicks from me were enough to get the bizarre plant to realize this really wasn't worth it and it high-tailed it out of there with a surprising amount of speed.

All I could do was just shake my head in disbelief. Well, Spyro **did** warn us that the Dragon Realms were full of danger. I don't think any of us were expecting said danger to come in the form of man eating frog plants. "I think we should be a bit more careful moving around this swamp, guys," I said.

"Oh **really**?!" cried Kevin, "You _sure_ about that Dylan? Cause I just love almost getting eaten by mutant vegetables!" he said sarcastically, clearly still a bit frazzled by what had just happened.

With a simple chuckle and shake of the head we continued our journey through the swamp, making sure we didn't have anymore… erm… "encounters" with the local wildlife.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Not Too Far Away…**_

_**Ape Commander…**_

* * *

I knew coming out here was a good idea, it looked like we had four… uh… what **were** those things? I looked closer in my telescope I had once stolen from one of those scavenger folks. These things looked like apes, but only vaguely. I honestly didn't care **what** they were, I was more interested in the strange bags they had on them. They looked quite full, with supplies no doubt, supplies that **I** wanted.

"General Grave!" one of my apes addressed me, "Did you find something?" he asked me.

I nodded, "Four travelers, not sure what race they are, but they have plenty of supplies," I said. Times had been very tough for us apes ever since Malefor fell, we had to scrounge for whatever we could find. Those damn dragons had reduced us to a mere shadow of our former selves. But soon… the ape kingdom would rise again. "Ready our troops and tell them to head east, with any luck… we'll head them off at the pass," I said with a sly grin.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Back with the Rangers…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

I hated wandering around blind, but unfortunately we had no idea where we were going. The map we had was basically useless to us since we didn't know where Spyro had warped us to. This was starting to look hopeless, it's not like we'll just randomly stumble upon-

"Hey guys! I think I found it!"

Well that's convenient, it seems Dean had found the tomb we were looking for. All of us joined up with Dean, who was standing in front of what was obviously a tomb of some sort. It wasn't too elaborate, just a simple stone structure with a dragonfly statue at it's top. You'd think the brother of the Legendary Purple Dragon would get something a bit more impressive than this.

Dean pulled the stone door open, a horrid rotting smell assaulting our nostrils causing all four of us to gag. "Oh god! It smells like the entire universe died in there!" whined Kevin.

I took a flashlight out of my backpack and shined it inside. Strangely the only thing in there was a **very** tiny coffin. Geeze… what happened to Spyro's brother that would require a coffin that small? Did he lose a fight with a blender? "_Sparx was a dragonfly, Dylan,"_ Ignitus informed me. Wait… what? "_It's a long story, but I feel there is something more alarming about this tomb than Sparx himself,_" Ignitus said. "_The morpher is not here,"_ he revealed.

I looked around again, hoping to god Ignitus was wrong. But sadly, the only thing in here were cobwebs and a dead dragonfly corpse. Someone took the morpher… of course they did. Because nothing can ever be easy for us, right? "Guys, we've got a problem, someone beat us to the morpher," I said.

"Are you kidding me?!" cried Kevin. "We just trudged through this stupid swamp for nothing?!" he complained.

Jess looked nervously around us, "Wh-What do we do now?" she asked. That was a pretty good question, where the hell would we even **begin** to search for the guy who took it? They could be anywhere in the Dragon Realms!

"Oh I wouldn't worry too much about that,"

All of us turned when we heard a very unfamiliar voice sound from behind us. That's when we all saw that we were surrounded by what looked to be an army of mandrills. Their fur was all matted and rough, their skin covered in warts and other unsightly impurities. God… I could smell their putrid body odor from here, and considering I was in a tomb with a rotting corpse, that was quite impressive.

One of the mandrills stepped forward, a rather burly looking one wearing heavy black armor and some kind of weird metal headdress. He had one missing eye, probably lost in some kind of battle if I were to hazard a guess. He held some kind of rusted sword or machete in his hand. "I'm gonna make this nice and simple for ya," he said before pointing his rusted blade at Kevin's bag, "Your bags, hand 'em over, **all of them**," he demanded.

Of course, what trek through a fantasy land is complete without an encounter with the local bandits? "Are you for real?" I asked. I'm sorry, I just can't take being robbed by baboons of all animals seriously. They just looked so doofy with their long faces and comically large red noses. The only way this could be less imposing is if they were all holding bananas as weapons.

"Oh, I'm "for real"," the lead monkey said. "And unless you want me to slice that smirk right off your ugly face, you're gonna do as I say!" he demanded. Uh… excuse me… **my** ugly face? I'm not the one who looks like a baboon who just lost a fight with a frying pan!

Well, we didn't find the morpher, but it looks like we will get a fight as a consolation prize. God, how dumb would it be if one of these stupid monkeys happened to have the morpher?

Kevin laughed as he stepped forward, "Oh man, did you guys pick the wrong guys to rob," he said before quickly kicking one of the baboons right in the jaw, sending him tumbling right into a mushroom.

And with that, we all began to fight. I of course went straight for the head of the class. Making sure to kick the lead monkey's machete out his hand before roundhouse kicking him right across his stupid face. The mandrill growled as he popped his jaw back in place. "Not bad," he said before suddenly flying into a frenzy! He managed to catch me completely off guard and tackled me to the ground. All I could do was throw my hands up as he tried to viciously claw me to death with his alarmingly long nails.

I managed to finally push him off with a swift kick to the midsection. But the primate didn't waste a single movement and went right back on the attack. I tried to score a high kick to his temple, but he managed to block it and caught me right across the face with a vicious claw slash.

My face stung like hell, thankfully he hadn't managed to cut too deep. But he wasn't about to let an opening pass him by as he nailed me with a double ax handle that sent me straight to the ground. "I guess I should thank you, I haven't had this much fun in a **long** time!" said the primate.

I could see the other rangers weren't having much luck either, as the apes seemed to be using the numbers game against them. Poor Kevin was already on the ground, trying to keep the mandrill's claws at bay. Jess was being pinned to a tree by two mandrills, and Dean was just being dog piled by a whole gang of the things.

The lead mandrill stomped hard on my back, "Well, it looks like you and your little friends aren't doing so well," laughed the monkey, "How's about you just hand over your supplies and call it a day, eh?" he offered. Dammit! I don't see any other way out of this, I couldn't reach my pocket, so getting my spirit gem and morphing was out of the question. But we needed our supplies! If we didn't have our map we'd be lost in seconds, and without food we'd end up dead.

However, just as all hope seemed to be lost…

"_**Elemental Power! Aether STRIKE!"**_

Suddenly a wave of purple slashed right through the mandrill on top of me, the primate sent flying through the air in an explosion of sparks. The monkey quickly sat back up, a look of pure disappointment on his face as he saw who his attacker was. "Oh no, not **you**!" he whined.

I saw a white boot step into my view, "Yes ape, **me**," a cool, gravely voice said. The mysterious figure approached the mandrill, allowing me to get a better look at him. My eyes widened upon realizing the man who had come to our rescue was a Power Ranger… a **purple** Power Ranger.

He had the same basic suit as the rest of us, purple with a black sleeve with gold stylized trim. However he had some kind of gold chest armor that bore his elemental crest, whatever it was that it was supposed to represent I had no clue. His helmet was clearly a depiction of Spyro, but it oddly had slightly pointed ears, as if meant to fit the ears of a cat. It's face mask also extended as if to compensate for some kind of muzzle. His arms had golden bands around both biceps. His knees had golden armoring around them, almost resembling knee pads. In his hand was some kind of saber with a large purple gem embedded in it's crossguard.

Well, I think we've found out where the Purple Dragon Morpher went. The mysterious ranger began to pose with his saber, "I am the Defender of Avalar! _**Power of Aether! Dragon's Roar! Purple Ranger!**_" he said before striking his dramatic pose.

"Defender of Avalar"? Really? I guess I shouldn't complain too much, this guy seemed to be on our side after all.

The mandrill forced himself to his feet. "You've interfered with me for the last time purple boy!" he threatened the Purple Ranger. "Apes! Kill him!" he ordered.

The very second that order left his lips, his army of apes descended upon the Purple Ranger. The Purple Ranger suddenly twisted the hilt of his saber into some kind of rifle shape, the purple accents on the blade popping out to reveal two gun barrels. "_**Purple Dragon Saber! Blaster Mode!"**_ He called before proceeding to fire purple energy at the attacking primates, picking them off like flies.

Oh come on! How come **his** sword gets to turn into a blaster and mine doesn't? But more importantly, how the hell was this guy able to contain the morpher's power so well? Shouldn't he be trying desperately not to explode right now? Instead, this dude was just picking off apes like it was going out of style!

He then reverted his sword back to its original form. "_**Purple Dragon Saber! Blade Mode!**_" he called as he did this. He then started slicing into the monkeys with an alarming amount of skill and procession. Man… this dude was **good. **No wonder Spyro wanted us to find this morpher, the power it had was **unreal**.

The Ranger's sword began to glow with purple energy. "_**Elemental Power! Aether Slash!"**_ he called before slashing his sword in a circular motion, taking out every remaining ape with one strike. Leaving the head ape as the last one standing.

"Last chance General Grave, retreat or die," the Purple Ranger said.

The head ape, who I guess is named Grave, began to weigh his options. "Fine! You win this round Purple Ranger! But you haven't seen the last of us!" he said before he and his apes began to retreat.

Satisfied, the Purple Ranger holstered his sword and began to walk off. "Wait!" I said, knowing we needed that morpher. The Ranger stopped in his tracks. "We need to talk," I said.

The Ranger turned to me, "We have nothing to discuss," he said coldly, "I suggest you all get out of here before those apes decide to try again," he told me.

I decided to flash him my morpher, "I think we do have "something to discuss","I said, making sure he saw the morpher.

The ranger looked to the morpher and back to me. "Am I supposed to be impressed you have one too? You're wasting my time," he said. Strangely, I could hear a slight feline like growl rumble from the Purple Ranger's throat.

Dean decided to lend me a helping hand. "Dude, you're a Power Ranger, like us," he explained. It was hard to tell from under his helmet, but I could tell The Purple Ranger losing his patience with us from his body language.

"Look, we came here looking for that morpher," I explained.

"Then you've wasted your time," the Purple Ranger growled. "I need this morpher to defend my people from the remaining Dark Armies!" he said before trying to leave, only to have his arm grabbed by Dean. "Release my arm," he snarled at Dean.

"Dude, a lot more than your people are at risk right now, we need the power of the Purple Ranger to help us stop Malefor before he destroys our world," Dean explained before the Purple Ranger wrenched his arm out of Dean's hand.

"That is nonsense! Malefor is dead!" snapped the Purple Ranger. "I will not ask you again, leave me be or I will kill you!" he threatened us. Dammit, of course he had to be unwilling to join us! Because, again, nothing can ever be easy for us.

The Purple Ranger once again tried to leave, but this time Kevin stepped right in his path. Earning another weird feline growl from the Purple Ranger. "Look sunshine, you can either come with us, or hand us that morpher! We're not gonna watch our whole world burn because you wanna go play Robin Hood in the Dragon Realm version of The Sticks!" he scolded the Purple Ranger.

The Purple Ranger replied to Kevin's demands with a hard one inch punch right to his ribs. Kevin sputtered and coughed as he collapsed to his knees. "Your world is of no concern to me," said the Purple Ranger, "Believe it or not, your world isn't the only one that needs help," he said before walking right by Kevin. "I will warn you only once, do not bother me again, or else," he said before leaping into the trees and vanishing from sight.

Dean helped Kevin back to his feet, "Man… that guy hits pretty hard," Kevin whined.

Jess soon joined my side, "What do we do now? We can't leave without that morpher," she said.

"I say we jump him and rip that thing right off his wrist!" snarled Kevin, clearly still mad at him for that epic gut punch he just received.

Dean however, felt differently, "I say we try to reason with him," suggested Dean. "I mean… he's using his power to help people isn't he? How bad can a guy like that really be?" he asked.

Kevin glared at Dean, "Are you serious? Dude just sucker punched me in the gut and told us our world could burn for all he cares, dude's a total headcase," he said.

"He's just worried about his own world," said Jess, "Maybe he doesn't understand how much danger both worlds are in?" she suggested.

I sighed, there were good points to be made on both sides. On one hand, he clearly didn't believe Dean when he mentioned Malefor was back, so there was a possibility he might change his tune if we prove to him Malefor is back. But on the other hand, Purple Ranger didn't exactly endear himself to us by snarling at us and punching Kevin's guts out.

I just shook my head, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there," I said, "For now, I think the Purple Ranger was right about one thing, that we should get out of here before those apes come back for round two," I said.

Kevin put his hands on his hips, "Yeah, but where do we go? I don't exactly wanna camp out in this swamp," he asked.

I took out the map again, noticing a village in the "Valley of Avalar" that wasn't too far from here. "There's a village nearby, maybe if we explain to them who we are and why we're here they'll be willing to help us?" I suggested.

"Or they could give us the same kind of welcome Purple Boy did," Kevin said.

Dean shook his head, "It can't hurt, I mean, Spyro's gotta be pretty popular around here, I'm sure his name would get us pretty far," he pointed out.

Jess nodded, "Besides, it might help us find the Purple Ranger in his unmorphed form," she said.

"Then it's settled, Avalar Village it is," I said before walking ahead of the group towards the Avalar Village. Hopefully it's residents would be more welcoming than the locals we've met so far…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Swamp…**_

_**Zenith…**_

* * *

How bothersome…

I didn't expect there to be others with this kind of power, much less ones who desired to recruit me. But I wasn't about to abandon my world, my **people**. They didn't understand, how could they? This other world they claimed to hail from was probably one of peace and prosperity, in ill-need of a protector like myself.

"_You're making the wrong decision, Zenith,"_

Ancestors, it seems my dragon spirit wishes to chime in again. It's voice was of a young dragon, it claimed to be Spyro, but I doubted it. He sounded far too young, like the voice of a child. Spyro would be at least in his late adulthood by now. It would also mean Spyro was dead. Which I doubt any of us in the Dragon Realms were willing to accept.

"_Deny who I am all you want Zenith,"_ the voice said, "_The fact remains that you're abandoning a whole world to death just to protect __**one**_ _village,"_ he scolded me.

Ridiculous, there was no way Malefor had returned. He was dead, everyone knew that. "_**Sealed,**_ _not __**dead**__,_" the dragon spirit corrected me. "_I created this morpher to protect the world in case he rose again, what if those other rangers were telling the truth?"_ he said.

"It's not my problem!" I snapped, slamming my fist against a tree. "My concern is **my** village, not some mythical far off ape world," I snarled. "Besides, I find their story far-fetched, you told me this was the only morpher, why would there be more?" I asked.

"_I don't know,_" admitted the spirit, "_Maybe I made others after this one failed,_" he suggested. "_Speaking of, you should probably unmorph before the power overwhelms you again_," said the spirit.

He was right about that at least, I could already feel the power overwhelming me again. "_**Power down!"**_ I called before the suit vanished back into the morpher. "I'm heading home, and I will hear no more of these other rangers," I said before heading back to the village.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Valley of Avalar…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

It didn't take long for us to find ourselves finally free of the murky swamp. I wouldn't lie, the landscape we now found ourselves in far more closely what I expected the Dragon Realms to look like as opposed to the swamp. It was a beautiful sprawling valley with luscious vegetation and a roaring river running across it.

"At least we get an upgrade in scenery," commented Kevin.

I looked to the map again, "According to the map, if we follow the river we should find the village," I said before heading towards where the map claimed the village was.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad to finally be out of that swamp. This valley was so much nicer, it definitely _smelled_ nicer too. A part of me wanted to stop and take in the scenery, but I could tell the sun was beginning to set and I didn't want to be out in the open once nightfall approached.

"Uh Dylan, you might wanna look up from that map,"

I did as Kevin asked, only to be met with quite the sight. We were surrounded on all sides by… cat men. I'm starting to think every race in the Dragon Realms was some variation of animal person… or whatever the hell that frog plant thing was. The cat men were all brandishing swords and spears and pointing them all right at us.

One of the cat men approached us, making sure to keep his sword pointed right at us. This cat man was quite well built, his right eye had a scar running down it, the pupil in that eye was slightly milky, telling me he was completely blind in that eye. His robes were a royal purple color, a small cape held in place by a round paw print buckle. "For what reason do you approach our village, strangers?" he asked us in a gruff voice.

The other rangers all looked at me. Oh, just because I happen to be the Red Ranger means I have to be the one to talk down the sword wielding jungle cat? "Uh… we were kinda hoping for a safe place to set up camp," I said. Yeah I could tell from the looks they were giving me they weren't looking into hosting guests.

"And why should we allow you to camp near our village? You could be of the Dark Armies for all we know!" the scarred cat snarled.

Dean moved himself between me and the feline, "Easy dude, we're the Power Rangers," he said as if any of these guys even knew what that was. "Spyro sent us to this world to find a morpher-" Dean began to explain before suddenly being cut off.

"You've met Spyro?" he asked. The shock in his voice told me that this was the first time they had heard that Spyro was even still alive. "No one has seen him in over a decade," he said before regaining his aggressive posture. "How do we know you speak the truth?" he asked us.

Almost as if on cue a small gem flew out of my morpher and onto the ground. I of course knew this meant Spyro wanted to talk to us, but none of the cat men knew what to make of it until the Spyro hologram appeared, starting the crap out of all of them. "I think I can help with that Swiftfoot," he said, revealing he somehow knew this cat guy. "I can assure you, the Power Rangers mean you no harm, and would greatly appreciate it if you housed them for the night," he said. You couldn't do this before when we were trying to convince the Purple Ranger to join us?! Ugh… whatever, he was making things easier for us so why complain, right?

The head cat, who was apparently named "Swiftfoot", bowed his head. "Y-Yes great Purple Dragon, forgive me I just… we didn't know you still lived!" he confessed.

I noticed Spyro looked a bit guilty upon hearing that, "I'm sorry, I had disappeared so I could create a vanguard against Malefor," he explained.

Swiftfoot sighed, "I… uh… I understand," he said. Something about the way he said that made me wonder if he really meant that or not. It was like he **wanted** to say something but didn't have the courage to say it.

The hologram vanished and I placed the gem back into its place. Swiftfoot sheathing his sword and approaching me. "I apologize for the misunderstanding, but we aren't exactly in a position to be very trusting," he explained.

I wanted to ask him about how he handled that conversation with Spyro, what it was he seemed to be hiding from him. But part of me knew that probably wouldn't end well for us.

"Our village isn't exactly made for guests," Swiftfoot explained, "But you may make camp here for the night," he assured us before leading us into the village.

The second we set foot in the village I instantly figured out why Swiftfoot felt like it wasn't suitable for housing guests. The place was kind of a dump to be blunt. It was a small village full of straw huts, I could see a small farm set up not too far from me. It seemed this village's feline inhabitants liked to live within their means. The whole village seemed to be surrounded by walls of sharpened bamboo.

Swiftfoot led us to a spot where we could set up camp. "You four should find it safer here in the village walls, it's not wise to be caught out in the open at night around here," he explained. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to inform the Chief of your presence," he said before going off to do just that. Leaving us to set up camp.

"I don't suppose anyone thought to bring a tent?" Kevin asked.

Jess fished something out of her backpack, "I had to bring on, otherwise dad wouldn't have bought my "going camping" story," she said. I guess I wasn't the only one who thought of the camping excuse. Well, at least we won't be sleeping out in the open…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Zenith…**_

* * *

It hadn't taken me long to return to the village, I knew the way like the back of my paw after all. But I noticed that there was a lot more commotion in the village than usual. I overheard chatter about the purple dragon being alive… while others discussed a group of strangers who had apparently arrived at his behest.

I was confused at first, but it was when I saw a small group of very familiar looking figures gathered in the center of the village did I understand what was happening. It was those other rangers again! They just stood there in the center of the village, setting up some kind of tent! I was furious! Who allowed these… these things in here?! They must have fooled everyone by claiming they worked for the Purple Dragon! But why?

My eyes widened… did they find out who I was? No… no that's impossible, I was far away from them when I de-morphed! But… then why were they here? And more importantly, how do I get rid of them without revealing my identity?

"Ah! Zenith! There you are,"

I saw my father approach me, "I was just on my way to inform Chief Prowlus of our new guests," he explained.

This was unbelievable! My father was smarter than this! "Father, we shouldn't be allowing them in here! We don't know who they are!" I said.

"They're of the purple dragon's employ," Father explained.

"How do you know that? They could be lying to you!" I argued.

My father raised an eyebrow, "You seem to object to our guests quite strongly, my son" he said. Dammit! He's on to me! "They proved their connection to the purple dragon, he spoke to us through one of their gems and confirmed their story," he explained.

Dammit… they're good… I'll give them that much. "And what is this "story"?" I asked.

"They claim to be attempting to retrieve another "morpher"," he explained. I tried not to show any signs of me being bothered by that statement, my father could not know I was the Purple Ranger! "I don't suppose you'd know anything that could help them, as well traveled as you are?" he asked me.

I glared at the group of rangers before turning to my father, "No father," I lied. I didn't know what game they were playing at, but I wouldn't fall for it. Their tricks may fool my fellow tribesmen, but not me. It isn't hard to fake a vision through a gem.

"_Do you really? Or are you just in denial?"_ sounded my dragon spirit. Be silent! I will not argue with you in front of my father!

"Well I must be off, can't keep the old man waiting," Said father before going off to inform Chief Prowlus of the ranger's presence.

I turned back to the "rangers". I knew not what their game was, but I would not fall into their trap. I was needed **here**, and so help me, I will **stay** where I was needed…

* * *

**A/N: Well, looks like Zenith is in a pretty tough bind here, and why was his father so weird around Spyro? Only time will tell.**

**As you can see, I made a few changes to Zenith's arsenal. I will confess that his sword having a blaster mode was completely inspired by the Wild Force Silver Ranger's "Lunar Cue". Something about a sword that can turn into a gun just seems so cool to me.**


	19. Ranger Hunt

Chapter 18: Ranger Hunt

* * *

Cheetah Village, Valley of Avalar…

Dylan Foutler…

* * *

The night came and went rather quickly. A whole day of hiking through a swamp and fighting off apes had really sapped our collective energy and sleep had come as quickly as we could bundle up in our sleeping bags. It wasn't until I woke up that I realized packing four teenagers in a small tent wasn't the greatest way to spend eight hours. I felt so stiff I could have been passed off as a rather convincing cardboard standee. So I spent an embarrassing amount of time just staring up at the roof of our small tent, debating if I should chance horrible agony for the sake of getting up.

However that choice would be made for me as I heard the sounds of claws and paw pads running down the nylon tent. "Ancestors sake, how do you open this thing?" I heard the voice of Swiftfoot complain from outside the tent. The tent's door was opened with a zipper, something that I guess Dragon Realmers weren't familiar with. I'd better help the guy out before he starts trying to cut into it with his claws or something.

Forcing myself to my feet, I carefully stepped over my still sleeping friends to help zip open our tent. All the while I had to wonder why Swiftfoot was trying to wake us up? Did he have something he needed to talk to us about? Or was he acting as our "wake up call"? Well, only one way to find out. The tent door unzipped and I was met with the furry face of Swiftfoot, who seemed dumbfounded by modern Human Realms camping equipment. "What's up?" I asked.

Swiftfoot shook off his confusion, "I'm sorry to wake you, but there is a matter in which I need to discuss with you," he said.

I stepped out of the tent to see it was pretty early in the morning. The grass still wet from the morning dew and the sky a rather pleasing purple color. "As you know, I told Chief Prowlus of your arrival last night," Swiftfoot began to explain. "Well, this morning, this arrived by carrier hawk," he said as he produced some kind of letter from his cape before handing it to me.

The letter had already been opened, and was in that weird language this world seemed to use and I had no hope of reading myself. "Uhh… I… I can't read this," I said sheepishly.

Swiftfoot was clearly fighting back a laugh at the stupid human that couldn't read a simple letter. "I apologize, it's easy to forget that you don't hail from this realm," he said. "It's a letter from the Guardians of Warfang, apparently Prowlus had mentioned your arrival in his daily report to the Dragon City," he explained. "They are on their way here to collect you and bring you to Warfang," he said.

Wow, there was a lot to unpack here. One, who the hell uses "messenger hawks"? I guess pigeons aren't metal enough. Two, how fast are these things to where they can send messages to and from Avalar overnight? And three, who the hell are "The Guardians of Warfang" and why should I go anywhere with them?

I could hear Ignitus awkwardly clearing his throat, "The Guardian Dragons are a group of four dragon masters tasked with looking after and training young dragons in their respective elements," Ignitus explained. "I should know, I was one myself," he revealed. Oh… well alright then. "But I do not know why they would be coming here, I guess the war had left Warfang without an active governing body and The Guardians stepped into their place," he theorized.

But I still had some questions of my own. "Why are they coming to pick us up? We're trying to find a morpher, not talk politics or whatever," I asked.

Swiftfoot shrugged, "I don't know, perhaps they know something about your morpher that we don't?" he theorized. "We won't know for sure until they arrive, which shouldn't be for a while," he said.

I don't see what they could possibly know that we don't. We already know someone took it and that someone had zero interest in helping us with the fight against Malefor. Speaking of which, "Well we do know a bit about the morpher already," I said. Swiftfoot cocked his head to the side, signaling me to talk to him as we walked. "We were told it would be in Spyro's brother's tomb when we warped here, but… well… it seems someone else beat us to it," I began to explain. "Said someone actually intervened in an ape attack against us, but after that was settled we quickly found out he wasn't exactly on board with joining our cause," I explained.

"I see," said Swiftfoot, "What do you know of this person? Any idea where he might hail from?" he asked me.

I shook my head, "All I know is that he's taken to calling himself the "Defender of Avalar"," I explained.

This caused Swiftfoot to stop in his tracks, "Defender of Avalar?" he questioned. "Sounds to me like this thief might be from our village," he theorized.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"There aren't many civilized folk in Avalar," said Swiftfoot. "That, and we had a run in with the apes during a supply run a little while ago," he added. "We were jumped by a band of ape bandits on the way back from Warfang, but before they could raid us a purple light attacked the apes, I had thought that it might have been the purple dragon, but now that you mention this "Defender of Avalar", it makes me wonder if it was your Purple Ranger," he explained.

That definitely fit with his MO, the guy must have fancied himself some kind of superhero defending travelers from roving bands of ape bandits. However, apparently there was a catch. "Problem is… I know a thousand cheetahs that could be the Purple Ranger, each one of us is a dedicated warrior devoted to defending our home," Swiftfoot explained. "And from how you describe him, I doubt he'll be all too willing to come forth," he said.

Yeah, and with The Guardians on their way to whisk us away to the Dragon City, we had a pretty tight time limit to find our Purple Ranger. "So, what do we do?" I asked.

"For now, keep quiet about it, I don't want to cause panic and mistrust among the tribe," said Swiftfoot. "I'll keep my eye out for your morpher, if I find out who has it I'll let you know," he explained.

I agreed, kicking up a fuss about it now would only make the Purple Ranger harder to find, or worse, cause him to turn tail and hide himself away until our time limit expired. Hopefully, Swiftfoot would weed out our Purple Ranger before then.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Elsewhere in the Village…

Zenith…

* * *

I didn't like having those other "rangers" in the village. No doubt they would inform my father and the other cheetahs about their encounter with me. I knew my father, he was smart, he would put two and two together eventually. I knew my only option was to keep an eye on them for now and hope they would move on eventually.

That wouldn't be hard, considering what an eyesore their tent was. It was this ugly, bright yellow things that stood out in the middle of the village like a sore thumb. I noticed one of them leave the tent, the green one. He stretched his limbs before strolling out of the tent with a pep in his step and an obnoxiously toothy smile on his face. I pegged this one as the upbeat, happy one. His athletic build made me think he might be a formidable fighter, something I needed to keep in mind should things go south and I end up having to fight them.

"Look Zenith, I know I sound like a broken record, but you should really consider just talking to them,"

My dragon spirit was once again making themselves a pain. I don't know why he was so insistent on me joining with these fools. Our goals conflicted with each other, they wanted to protect their world, I wanted to protect my village. I cannot do both. Besides, I didn't want to know these creatures.

"Suit yourself Zenith, but I still think it's worth at least trying to hear them out," said my Dragon Spirit. On that spirit, we did not agree. They had nothing to say that I wanted to hear.

"Sup man?"

Dammit! Thanks to my Dragon Spirit distracting me, the creature in green had decided to approach me. "Kinda noticed you standing there staring into space, you doing okay?" he asked me.

I had no time for this, "Nothing that concerns you ape," I spat.

The creature seemed taken aback by my tone. "Come on man, don't be like that, we're all friends here," he said.

"We are not friends," I snarled.

"Geeze, no need to be so hostile," the creature commented. You are really starting to annoy me ape, please leave before I claw your eyes out! "I'm Dean by the way," he introduced himself. As if I cared what this annoyance called himself.

"Zenith," I spat, if anything just to get this irritant to leave faster. "Go away please before I lose my patience," I added in hopes of speeding the process.

Suddenly the blue one emerged from the tent and noticed how annoyed his green friend was making me. "Dean, dude, I think this guy's about ten seconds from tearing you limb from limb," he said before turning to me, "You'll have to forgive Dean, he's the terminally friendly type," he explained.

Well, I'll say this much, liked him significantly more than his green cohort. Then again, that wasn't saying much. "Look, I have no interest in either of you, in fact, I look forward to whenever it is you decide to leave this village," I said before storming off. Ancestors… how does anyone tolerate these creatures?

* * *

Kevin Naton…

* * *

Well, isn't he a cuddly little kitty cat. Dude seemed to be overly aggressive even for a jungle cat. I don't know what his problem was but I was kinda glad he chose to leave instead of beating us within an inch of our lives.

Dean however, was confused by this new sensation of meeting someone who didn't share his sunny disposition. "I don't get it, all I did was say hi to him," he said.

I placed a friendly hand on Dean's shoulder. "Dean, buddy, some people… aren't into the whole "friend" thing," I told him. "I think, in the future, we should avoid that guy… I like my blood inside my body, and I'm sure you do too," I said.

Dean shook his head, "I dunno, I think there was something oddly familiar about that guy," he said.

"Dude, they're cheetah men, they all kinda look the same," I said.

Dean turned to me, "Dude, not cool man," he said.

"I didn't mean it like that!" I protested.

"Uh huh, suuure you didn't," said Dean. "I'm telling you man, I think we've met that guy somewhere before," he said.

I just rolled my eyes, "Well, while you're pondering that, I'm going to see if I can score some breakfast," I said before excusing myself. But as I walked through the village, I couldn't help but think Dean might have been onto something. I could have sworn I've heard that cheetah's voice before. Bah, it's probably nothing…

* * *

Meanwhile…

General Grave…

Valley of Avalar…

* * *

I was always taught to pay attention to minor details when I was a kid, that a smart ape was a powerful one. The identity of the Purple Ranger had always eluded me, that suit of his always hiding what he truly was underneath. But I knew the growl of a cheetah when I heard one, and thanks to those deformed apes, I managed to hear it before I retreated. And where did cheetahs come from? The Cheetah Village in Avalar.

I could see it from where I stood, an attack on the village was always in the cards, but I could never find a good enough reason to risk my men on it until now. If that cheetah thought he was gonna play dress up and mess with our business, he'd better be prepared to deal with the consequences.

"General Grave,"

One of my men approached me, "What are your orders once we reach the village?" he asked me.

I let a sadistic grin creep up my face, "We burn it to the ground, and kill as many cheetahs as we can," I said. It was time we taught the Purple Ranger, and the rest of this stinkin' realm that the apes were not to be trifled with…

* * *

Meanwhile…

Back at the Village…

Jessica Fox…

* * *

Everyone had seemed to have awoken from their slumber before me, since I woke up to an empty tent. I was still trying to adjust to the idea that I was in a different world, surrounded by bipedal cat men.

I exited the tent to find the village was already well into it's morning routines. Some cheetahs were training their marksmanship, others were tending to gardens. There was a strange quaintness to the Avalar Cheetah Village. It looked like such a simple life these feline creatures led. I wish I could say the same for my own, but the life of a Power Ranger was anything but simple.

I hated to admit it, and I'd never say it to their faces. But the cheetahs were kind of weirdly adorable, what with their fuzzy faces, big round eyes, and pointy ears. They looked so soft and cuddly, but I wasn't about to try anything of the sort lest I lose a limb. If anything, their cuteness helped ease some of the weirdness they exuded. It was a surreal experience seeing anthropomorphic animals in the flesh.

"I'm assuming you're one of these fabled Power Rangers I've been hearing about?"

I turned to see a rather elderly looking cheetah standing behind me. His eyes were a hunter green color, his fur was orange in color, but heavily faded from age. He wore a red cape with gold trim that was fastened in place by a gold buckle with a paw print printed in it. He used a thick wooden cane to support himself. "Uh… yes sir," I said, kind of nervous he caught me gawking at his fellow villagers.

The cheetah laughed weakly, "Strange creatures, I've never seen ones that look quite like you," he said before realizing something. "Oh, forgive me, I am Chief Prowlus, you may have heard my name thrown around by the villagers," he introduced himself.

So this wasn't just some old man, he was the Chief! Now I felt even more embarrassed. "I… uh… I'm Jessica, the uh… yellow ranger,"I introduced myself, doing a little bow out of instinct.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Jessica," said Prowlus. "I have to say, I was quite surprised to learn Spyro was still around, most of us had thought him dead," he said. "How is the purple dragon these days?" he asked me.

"He's uh… he's fine," I said, "A little overprotective sometimes, but he means well," I added, doing my best to fight off my social anxieties so as to not humiliate myself in front of the Chief.

Prowlus nodded, "He's a good dragon, but I'd be lying if I said our first meeting was a positive one," said Prowlus, "The first time we spoke to one another, he was tied to that pole over there," he said, pointing to an old wooden pole not too far from our tent. "I was much younger back then, much angrier, I wanted nothing to do with Spyro or any dragons for that matter… he wound up saving one of my villagers… that and a few years had mellowed my spirit quite a bit," he said with a half hearted chortle. Memories of his younger days probably flooding his aged mind. "To this day I regret not trusting Hunter's judgment more… sometimes I wish he were still around… he was a lot better at keeping me in line than I ever liked to admit," he said before coming to some sort of realization, "Oh, but I doubt you want to listen to this old feline mewl about his lost youth, in a way I'm glad you four came here," he said.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"The one thing Hunter always used to tell me was that the purple dragon always brought hope with him, by extension… so do you," he said. "And hope is in such short supply these days, what with Spyro and Cynder's disappearance, and the dark armies still scurrying about underfoot," he explained.

Wait, Cynder? "Who's Cynder?" I asked.

Prowlus seemed quite surprised by the question. "You don't know who Cynder is?" he asked. "How odd that Spyro wouldn't have mentioned her," he commented. "Cynder was the one who helped Spyro seal Malefor all those years ago, they fell in love shortly afterwards," he explained. Aw… Spyro managed to find love while defeating Malefor, that's so sweet. But… Why wouldn't he mention her? Spyro didn't seem to be willing to mention much of his life before he met us, maybe something happened to her?

"He doesn't talk much about his life before meeting us," I explained.

"It's probably too painful for him," Prowlus theorized, "I can't imagine leaving everything behind like he did, he probably doesn't like to think about it," he said. "Not that I would know, we weren't exactly close, our relationship purely a professional one up until he vanished over a decade ago," he added with a strange hint of remorse in his voice.

I could see that, I tried to imagine how I'd feel if I were forced to leave everyone I loved behind to save the world. I don't think I'd like to think about it much either, especially if I had a significant other in my life. "Does anyone know what happened to her? Cynder I mean?" I asked.

Prowlus shook his head, "She vanished shortly after Spyro did," he said. "She's probably out there somewhere, still looking for him," he theorized. There was something so tragically romantic about that, someone vanishing in search of a lost lover. Oddly I thought about Dylan for a moment, but quickly shoved that thought aside.

"Swiftfoot told me you have suspicions that this Purple Ranger you seek might be one of my own?" he asked. I knew nothing about this, in fact this was the first time I had heard about this. But it did make sense, there was an oddly cat like shape to the Purple Ranger's helmet. "It wouldn't surprise me, with our problems with the apes, things have become desperate, supplies are difficult to transport, cheetahs have gone missing while out on hunts, I guess one of them got sick of losing their comrades and decided to take matters into their own hands," he theorized. "If there's anything you noticed about this cheetah, please, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me," he asked me.

I thought about our encounter with the Purple Ranger, looking for anything that might be of use to Prowlus. "He sounded young, like he was our age," I said. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

Prowlus closed his eyes and nodded his head, "It's not that I don't appreciate what this young cheetah is doing, but if there's one thing I've learned over the course of my life, it's the importance of looking beyond the village, and considering the bigger picture," he told me. "This cheetah is wasting such power on only our village when he can do so much more," he said. "I'm old enough to have witnessed Malefor's evil first hand, I shudder at the thought of experiencing that horror again, that is why I find helping you Power Rangers so important… no world should have to go through what ours did," he said.

"Do you think we can convince him? The Purple Ranger I mean?" I asked.

Prowlus sighed, "If he's anything like I was during my younger years, convincing him won't be easy, some cheetahs are quite stubborn, set in their ways, but if there is good in the Purple Ranger, any at all, you should be able to reach it," he told me.

I sure hope so, I'd hate for all of this to be for nothing…

* * *

Meanwhile…

Dylan Foutler…

* * *

So far we haven't been able to find any clue as to the identity of our Purple Ranger. I'd been watching cheetah's wrists for morphers but so far all of them were clean. I really hope Swiftfoot was having better luck than I was. I noticed a young cheetah in purple marching towards me, he was keeping his arms hidden under his cape for some reason. Making me wonder if he was our Purple Ranger.

But he noticed me looking at him and shot me a nasty death glare. "You got something to say to me ape?" he asked. Okay, the use of the word "ape", I'm pretty sure that's a Dragon Realm slur for humans, thus I found it a bit offensive.

"Geeze man, who stepped in your cornflakes this morning?" I commented.

The cheetah approached me, getting right up in my face. "Let's just say I've had more than enough of you "Power Rangers"," he snarled.

"Why? What'd we ever do to you?" I asked.

"Dunno… guess I just don't like primates," he said.

"Zenith?"

Both of us turned to see Swiftfoot approaching. "Is there a problem here?" he asked us.

The cheetah glared at me, "No father, none at all," he said rather ominously.

Wait, this guy was Swiftfoot's son? I guess it makes sense, their fur and eyes were similar, and they both wore purple. But I kinda wish Swiftfoot's son would have inherited at least a little bit of his father's class.

Swiftfoot turned to Zenith, "Son, if you don't mind, the Red Ranger and I have things we need to discuss," he said. Zenith sneered and shot me a dirty look before leaving. Swiftfoot turned to me with a sigh, "He's a good kid, I promise," he said. Uh-huh, I'll mark that under "doubtful". "I'm sorry to say, I haven't made much progress on uncovering the identity of your Purple Ranger," he said.

I lowered my head, "Me neither," I said. I then noticed Zenith suddenly stopped, his ears perking up as if something we said caught his attention.

"Do you remember any more details about the Purple Ranger that might help us?" Swiftfoot asked me.

I thought back to our encounter with the Purple Ranger, dissecting the memory for anything useful to our search. "He sounded young, late teens if I were to ballpark it," I said. I chanced another look at Zenith, instantly noticing him tense up. That theory about him being our guy was starting to look pretty convincing right now.

Swiftfoot noticed me staring at his son. "No, it's not Zenith," he said rather aggressively. I turned to him. "I know my son, he wouldn't hide something like that from me," he said.

I had to tread very carefully here, if I ticked Swiftfoot off by accusing his son it would make finding the Purple Ranger very difficult. "He's one of the only ones I haven't seen the wrists of, he's hiding them under his cape," I pointed out.

Swiftfoot shook his head, "It's... not... him," he said.

Before this could get any worse, we suddenly heard a distant cry coming from the distance, it was only after a while that we could make it out.

"They're coming! The apes! They're headed for the village!"

Swiftfoot and I dropped our little conversation to go check out what was going on. We soon found a cheetah carrying an injured cheetah through the entrance. Swiftfoot instantly rushed to help carry the injured feline. "Talk to me Kovo, what happened?" he asked the other cheetah.

"We were out scouting the river when an army of apes attacked us, Korin was severely injured during the attack but we managed to escape," he explained. "But not before we overheard their plans to attack the village directly," he added. A chorus of shocked gasps sounded from the village coupled by hushed murmurs.

"Are you sure, Kovo?" asked Swiftfoot, "The apes have never been known for subtlety, but they've never been so bold as to attack our village directly," he said.

"I'm certain," said Kovo, "They said something about retaliation for the Purple Ranger's interference in their raids," he explained. I quickly looked to Zenith, who had a shocked expression on his face.

Things were getting out of hand and I wasn't about to keep playing this stupid cat and mouse game with him. I quickly stormed up to Zenith who didn't see me coming in time to stop me from grabbing his right wrist. "Hey! What are you doing?!" protested the cheetah before I held his wrist up high for everyone to see, and lo and behold. He had it on him, the Purple Dragon Morpher.

Gotcha.

Everyone looked in disbelief as they saw Zenith had the morpher this whole time. Some were angry, others were confused. "Care to explain… Purple Ranger?" I asked him. Zenith shot me a death glare as everyone waited for his response.

Zenith wrenched his wrist free, "Fine! I admit it! I'm the Purple Ranger!" he snapped. More gasps and murmurs sounded from the crowd.

"I knew it!" sounded the voice of Dean, "I knew I heard your voice somewhere before!" he said. Suddenly Zenith found himself surrounded by all four Power Rangers with a lot of explaining to do!

However, our reactions were far from the most angry. Out of nowhere I found myself violently shoved aside by an absolutely livid Swiftfoot. "THIS WHOLE TIME!?" he practically screamed at his son. "It was you this whole time we've been trying to help the Power Rangers find that morpher, only to learn it was on your wrist?! How could you Zenith?" he scolded his son.

Zenith at first said nothing, just looking off to the side as his father yelled at him, before finally responding. "The village needs me, father, far more than these four do!" he said.

Swiftfoot was beside himself, "It was you, this whole time… picking fights with ape bandits… and now they're coming here to kill us all in retaliation," he said. "Of all the careless, selfish things I've ever heard! That morpher was made to save worlds! Not pick on bandits!" he lectured Zenith.

"What was I supposed to do father?!" Zenith snapped back. "They were killing our people! Taking vital supplies from us! I found that morpher and I finally had the power to do something about it! So I did!" he yelled. "I thought you'd be happy?!" he said.

"Happy?" Swiftfoot questioned. "Malefor could be laying waste to countless innocents as we speak, and the one thing that can help the Power Rangers stop him is instead being used by my own cub to serve his own selfish ends!" he scolded Zenith. "I raised you better than this! What would your mother think?!" he said.

"Don't bring mother into this!" Zenith snapped. "I did this for us! For our people! How is that selfish?!" he asked.

"Because you chose to help a small village, when you could have helped everyone!" said Swiftfoot. "The Red Ranger told me he suspected you, but I didn't want to believe him! I didn't want to believe my own son would be so selfish as to forsake an entire realm." he growled.

All four of us rangers just sort of stood there awkwardly as Swiftfoot argued with his son over his decision to use a morpher so powerful Spyro decided to trash it out of fear of it literally killing people, and decided, ya know what? This would be great for beating up apes!

But saying that, I couldn't really blame Zenith for trying to use the morpher to help his people. I probably would have done the same thing if I were in his shoes.

But I guess Zenith had had enough of arguing with his father and decided to turn the eye of ire to me. "You! This is all your fault!" he accused us. "You just had to go snooping around didn't you?! I told you not to follow me and you did it anyway!" he scolded us.

"Dude, we need that morpher to beat Malefor!" I said. "Forgive us for not being very eager to give up on that!" I protested.

Zenith suddenly pulled out a very familiar looking saber from under his cloak. "You want this morpher, ape?" he said, "Come and take it!" he challenged us before jamming the gem in it's crossguard into his morpher.

"Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form! Aether!"

The cheetahs were all shocked and amazed as they watched Zenith transform into the Purple Ranger. However, said awe didn't last as Zenith soon doubled over in pain as the Aether energy began to wreak havoc on his body. Swiftfoot was horrified as he watched his son struggle to contain the power of his morpher. "Zeniths stop this! This power is clearly too much for your body to handle!" Swiftfoot pleaded with his son.

Zenith turned to his father, "Be silent!" he snarled before he soon managed to somehow contain his power before turning to me. "Come Red Ranger, come and take this morpher back if you can," he challenged me.

Dean looked to me, "Dylan, you can't seriously be considering taking him up on that," he pleaded. But I knew better, the look in his eyes as he morphed told me all I needed to know, that he wasn't budging on this and I needed to do some convincing.

"Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form! Fire!"

Everyone in the village stood in awe as I transformed into the Red Ranger. Me and Zenith were probably the first Power Rangers they've ever seen in full costume. "Don't be stupid about this Zenith, we're out to protect your people along with everyone else in both realms," I said.

However Zenith was unconvinced. "Lies! You only care about your own realm!" he accused me as we began to circle each other. "You don't get it! None of you get it! Someone has to take a stand against the apes! And that someone is me!" he said as he readied his saber.

"Sword of Flame!" I called, summoning my own weapon. "I don't want to fight you Zenith," I said.

"Well I very much want to fight you!" replied Zenith before he launched into his attack. I had barely enough time to block his slashes. "I wanted to wait you out until you finally left, but it seems I have to take matters into my own paws!" he snarled as our swords clashed.

I tried to catch him off guard with a leg sweep, but he jumped over it and scored a hard flying roundhouse to my head, sending me spiraling to the ground. "Get up! I'm not done with you yet!" Zenith snarled.

I quickly got back to my feet. "This is ridiculous! We shouldn't be fighting! We're on the same side!" I said before Zenith tried to catch me off guard with a few slash attacks, I blocked a few but he eventually managed to tag me across the chest with his blade.

"Like hell we are!" Zenith protested. "You want me to forsake my people for your stupid world!" he said.

"Malefor is a threat to both worlds, Zenith!" I said. "If we don't stop him now, he'll just end up destroying your people anyway!" I explained before being forced to dodge a horizontal slash from Zenith's saber and managing to counter with a roundhouse to the side of his head, causing him to stumble a bit. "Don't be an idiot! If you don't help us, you're going to lose a lot more than your village!" I said as I deflected another slash only to be kicked in the gut by Zenith.

It was clear Zenith had the upper hand here, his combat experience coupled with the sheer raw power of the Purple Dragon Morpher was going to get the better of me eventually. My only chance was to try to convince him to do the right thing and stand down. "Look Zenith, I get it, you want to protect your people, and I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't have done the same if I were you," I began to explain. "But you've gotta look at the bigger picture here! If Malefor isn't stopped, it won't matter if you stop the apes because he'll just destroy your village along with everything else!" I pleaded with him.

I noticed Zenith begin to struggle a bit, his Aether power surging through his body, "Shut up Dragon Spirit! He's not right! He's LYING!" he screamed. Wait… Zenith has a Dragon Spirit? How is that even possible? Spyro used his own magic to power that morpher, and he was alive and well back in the Dragon Temple!

But I wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, his Dragon Spirit was on my side here. "Zenith listen to me! I know what it's like to be afraid for those you love, to want to do whatever it takes to protect them, but we're Power Rangers, our duty is to the world both of them, not just our little pieces of them," I said. "All you're doing by fighting me is wasting precious time and mana, I know you're not a bad person, I know somewhere deep inside you is a noble Power Ranger who can do so much good for both realms! Please! Stand down and listen to reason!" I pleaded with him.

Zenith cried out in frustration. His mind was conflicted, I could tell. "Shut up! Just SHUT UP!" he screamed as Aether crackled and sparked from his body. The Aether was starting to hurt him! Oh god… he might die!

"Zenith! Your power is tearing your body apart!" I said, "We can help you control it! But you've gotta stop fighting me before it kills you!" I begged him.

Swiftfoot finally decided he had seen enough and rushed to his son's aid. "Zenith please! The Red Ranger is right! I won't watch my son die because he's too stubborn to see the truth!" he pleaded with him before embracing his son in a tight hug. "Please son! You're smarter than this! Don't let your power destroy you!" he pleaded.

The Aether began to die down, "I don't want to abandon my village father," he said with a weak sob.

"You aren't abandoning anything by joining the other rangers," said Swiftfoot, "They need you, and you need them," he said. "The Red Ranger said they can help you control this power, if you won't join them to save their world, at least do it to save yourself! This power, it's too much for you, please… see reason..." he begged his son.

Zenith lowered his head, "Father… I'm… I'm sorry," he said.

But before more could be said, the village gates suddenly flew open, revealing an army of apes behind them, led by none other than General Grave. "I'm sorry, are we interrupting something?" asked Grave with a dry laugh.

The ape stepped forward, "Men… kill them all… leave nothing standing," he ordered his men.

* * *

A/N: Uh-Oh! Looks like this little discussion is going to have to be tabled for now!

This chapter took a lot longer than I wanted it to, mainly because I decided to rewrite it due to not liking the direction I took it in. I want to make sure you guys get the absolute best out of me.


	20. Heroes United

**Chapter 19: Heroes United**

* * *

_**Cheetah Village…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

Dammit! Just as we were about to finally win Zenith over, the apes come barging in and suddenly the whole place turns into a warzone! A big old dance was raging through the Cheetah Village and everyone had a partner! Dean, Kevin, and Jess all morphed the instant the apes started attacking people and found themselves fighting for their lives along with everyone else. Thank god these suits increased our fighting prowess, considering how badly our last fight went with the apes we'd be dead within minutes otherwise!

But man, that didn't mean the apes weren't giving it the old college try! They seemed to be big fans of swarm tactics, coming at you in waves of angry fangs and claws. Thankfully, one well placed kick or slash with my sword was enough to take them out of the fight. That being said though, I wouldn't be lying if I said I really wish they hadn't brought every ape and their brother to this little raid of theirs. The numbers were starting to become too much to keep up with, how the hell the cheetahs had managed to survive this long was a mystery and a half. "_**Elemental Power! Blazing SLASH!"**_ I called out as I sent a wave of fire right at a charging horde of apes, taking out a sizable chunk of them.

I don't know how many elemental attacks I wanna use here, it was easy to lose track of the cheetahs in the sea of apes and I didn't want to end up accidentally roasting one of them alive. But unfortunately the apes weren't exactly giving me very many options here. "Do you stupid monkeys have nothing better to do?!" I couldn't help but ask out loud as I cut down ape after ape.

I had long since lost track of Zenith and his father in the crowd, not good since Zenith wasn't in the best of shape thanks to his powers getting all out of whack and he happened to be the main target in this little attack the apes were currently conducting.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Zenith…**_

* * *

Containing the excess power of my morpher was difficult, if I wasn't careful, it would destroy me. But I had bigger problems to worry about right now. I should have guessed my actions would make the apes desperate eventually. And an attack this bold **reeked** of desperation. Apes weren't hard to figure out, they desired power above all else, deny them power long enough and they'll dedicate themselves to your destruction. How they found out I was a cheetah from this specific village was a mystery, but I had a few theories. None of them were relevant right now, as I was far more concerned with defending my village from these heathens.

Apes weren't exactly known for being smart, dedicated? Yes. Smart? Not even slightly. There's a reason why Malefor traded them for Grublins during the final stages of the previous war. A smart creature would have tried to catch me unmorphed, knowing how well I'd managed to fend them off in my ranger form before. But as I said, apes aren't smart. Instead they settled for flinging themselves at me and hoping for the best. Each one easily fell to my blade just as they always had. "Grave! I know you're out there! You want to face me? Well here I am! Come and face me!" I challenged the ape general. I knew if I could take out Grave the other apes would panic and flea like the cowards they were.

And did Grave ever accept my challenge, coming out from nowhere and slashing me diagonally across the chest. My armor got most of it but he did manage to cause a few sparks to explode from my suit. "You should have seen this coming Purple Ranger! We would only tolerate you foiling our raids for so long, and now you will pay with the lives of your people!" he snarled.

"You will gain nothing from this attack, Grave," I said, "It will end the same way as every other encounter we've had," I said before charging my saber with Aether. "_**Elemental Power! Aether Slash!"**_ I called as I slashed at the ape with it's Aether magic. However Grave dodge rolled out of the way just in time.

To make things infinitely worse, the morpher's power once again began to overwhelm me, forcing me to my knees with sheer, raw, pain. Grave noticed this almost immediately. "It's a burden, isn't it Purple Ranger?" he asked me. "All the power of a Purple Dragon at your claws… power your body is clearly not meant to wield," he laughed.

"I will not be lectured about ill gotten power from the same race that tried and failed at a power grab against the Dark Master," I spat. "Sure took a long time for you to revert back to your natural states, didn't it Grave?" I asked before he suddenly backhanded me.

"You're hardly in a position to judge me, cheetah," Grave growled as he picked my saber off the ground. "Now, I think it's only fitting you be slain by your own weapon," he said with a sinister grin. The overwhelming power was keeping me from moving, otherwise I would easily disarm him and take him down like I've done a thousand times before. Dammit… this can't be how I die!

"Forget it Grave!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere a streak of green rammed right into Grave, knocking him down. The Green Ranger stood in front of me, catching my saber which the impact had knocked out of Grave's hands. "Didn't your mamma teach you not to take things that don't belong to you?" he said before handing the saber to me. "How are you holding up?" he asked me.

I cautiously took the saber from the Green Ranger, still on the fence on if I trusted these other rangers yet. "The energy is getting harder to contain, I don't know how much longer I can endure it," I explained.

The Green Ranger nodded, "Then I guess we're gonna have to take this loser down quickly!" he said with clear confidence in his voice. Battle was something to be taken very seriously! But this ranger was making jokes and throwing around childish insults at his opponent! It was so bizarre.

Grave forced himself back to his feet, "There are more of you?!" he questioned when he saw the Green Ranger standing by my side.

"You bet there is!" Green Ranger said. "Four more if you wanna be specific!" he added. "Speaking of, you're up Kevin!" he then added before the Blue Ranger bounded over us.

"_**Elemental Power! Frozen SLASH!"**_

Grave was caught completely off guard by the attack, ice covering his body the second the attack hit it's mark. The Blue Ranger landed softly in front of his now frozen victim. Mockingly observing it like one would a fine piece of art, "It's not my best work, but I do like the bold statement it makes," he said before Grave suddenly shattered his icy prison.

"That… was **unpleasant**!" he roared before grabbing the still quite surprised Blue Ranger by the throat. "I'll snap your neck like a twig for that you little runt!" he snarled.

"Uh, guys? A little help?! Monkey's kinda mad!" Blue Ranger said as he struggled to get free from the ape general's grip.

The Green Ranger quickly rushed to his friend's aid. "Hang on Kevin!" he said as he changed his weapon to an alternate form. "Earth Ax, blaster mode! Fire!" he called out as bursts of earth magic shot out of what used to be the Axes handle. The shots landed, one hit his abdomen, the other his right shoulder. The blasts caused him to lose his grip on Kevin, who fell to the ground.

The Green Ranger returned his weapon to it's ax form and took advantage of a distracted Grave, scoring a series of three slashes with his ax, the final one sending the ape spiraling to the ground in a sea of sparks. The Green Ranger then helped Kevin to his feet. "You okay?" he asked.

Kevin nodded, "Nothing hurt but my pride," he replied.

However, I noticed Grave getting up while both rangers were distracted. "He's getting up!" I called out, the Green Ranger noticed too late and got hit with a nasty slash across his chest. Kevin quickly sprang into action, attempting two slashes with his lance, but Grave blocked both before tripping the Blue Ranger up with a quick kick to his right shin, which sent him straight to the ground.

Dammit! He was going to kill them! Without even thinking I rushed Grave with my Saber, cutting right into him with a series of vicious slashes. "I've had more than enough of **you**!" I snarled as another heavy slash landed, once again downing the ape general. I could still feel the Aether energy threatening to start overwhelming me again. But, despite my differences with the other Power Rangers, I wasn't about to watch them die to the likes of General Grave. I pointed the tip of my saber at Grave's throat. "Yield," I commanded him.

Grave just glared at me. "Not a chance!" he said before smacking my saber away and mule kicking me right in the midsection, knocking me to the ground. "How long do you think it will take before that power eats you alive?" he asked me. "I don't have to **win** this fight Purple Ranger, I just have to run out the clock until your own powers destroy you from the inside out!" he said.

"That's assuming you even last that long!"

Suddenly the red and yellow rangers both came from seemingly out of nowhere and attacked Grave two on one. Grave was skilled, but even he couldn't fend off two rangers at once and eventually the Red Ranger managed to send him to the ground with a horizontal slash.

Soon all four rangers stood between me and Grave. "Give it up Grave, you can't beat all five of us!" the Red Ranger said. "Call off your army and leave while you still can!" he then ordered the ape.

But I knew Grave too well to think he'd listen, he was too fixated on getting his revenge to think of anything else, including his own life. "Never! I'll kill each and every one of you!" he roared defiantly before charging the group.

"Alright guys, get your strongest attack ready!" Red Ranger ordered the others.

_**"Elemental Power! Raging Inferno Slash! Final Attack!"**_

"_**Elemental Power! Ultimate Blizzard! Final Attack!"**_

_**"Elemental Power! Terra Blast! Final Attack!"**_

"_**Elemental Power! Thor's Wrath! Final Attack!"**_

All four attacks combined into one, all four dragon elements mixed into one thunderous attack that hit Grave harder than anything he had ever felt before! He screamed as the elemental magic tore through his armor like a hot knife through butter. Leaving him in only his loincloth and now singed fur. The four rangers all turned their backs to him and struck a dynamic pose as the ape general fell to the ground with a loud thud.

I had never seen anything like that before, an attack **that** powerful, a group so well coordinated as to unleash their strongest magic all at once. It was clear these four were quite used to working with one another. Anyone who knew anything about combat knew that these were clear signs of battle hardened warriors. I had thought they made up Malefor's return in an effort to convince me to surrender my morpher, but it had become clear that they indeed told the truth, and had been battling Malefor for quite some time.

Every ape in the village stopped the second they heard Grave's body hit the ground, all of them starred in stunned silence, even my fellow cheetahs were in awe at how easily the Power Rangers had dispatched the ape general. Kevin flashed his lance at the remaining apes. "Boo!," he said, causing all of the apes to scramble away with their collective tails between their legs. Like I said, cowards.

The cheetah warriors proceeded to chase the remaining apes out of the village as victorious cheers sounded from their throats. I noticed General Grave begin to stir, somehow he managed to survive that attack! But all five of us quickly surrounded him. "Your apes have abandoned you, Grave," I said. "You can't take five Power Rangers and an entire cheetah village by yourself, especially not in your condition, if I were you, I would run," I said.

Grave slowly got up, realizing I was right and he had lost this battle. "This isn't over! We'll be back! I swear it!" he said before scampering out of the village, completely humiliated.

I unmorphed after I knew he was out of sight before turning to the other rangers. I looked to my morpher, knowing what the right thing to do was. I went to undo it but the Red Ranger stopped me. "Zenith, we don't want the morpher," he said. "We want **you**," he added.

I shook my head, "I'm not worthy," I said, "Father was right, I was wrong to use my powers for such selfish reasons… I don't deserve the power this morpher holds," I said.

The Green Ranger put a hand on my shoulder, "There's nothing selfish about wanting to protect the people you love," he told me. "That's why **we** do what we do, to protect those we love along with the rest of the world," he explained.

I don't understand, wasn't their whole argument that I was being selfish for just using my power to protect my village? "But… you said-" I began before Kevin suddenly put his finger to my snout.

"It was short sighted, not selfish," Kevin corrected me. "Come on man, you saved me **and** Dean's butts back there, even though your powers were tearing you apart, if that doesn't earn you a spot on the team I don't know what will," he said. I didn't even think about it at the time, but Kevin was right, it was pretty courageous of me to come to their aid in the face of being torn apart by my own powers. I just wasn't willing to allow Grave to kill them like that.

The Yellow Ranger nodded, "Come on Zenith, you're one of us, even if you don't even know it yet," she told me.

I thought about it for a long time, mere hours before this I wanted nothing to do with these people, but now here I was… seriously considering joining their team, to involve myself in their war with Malefor.. The decision was an easy one to make… "I accept," I said. The four rangers cheered and welcomed me to the team. Giving me pats on the back and shaking my hand like I was their best friend who just came back from a long journey.

I then noticed my father approach me. I ping of guilt stung my heart as I remembered how angry he was when he learned I had stolen the Purple Morpher. "Father… I'm sorry I lied to you, I-" I began but father didn't let me finish.

"Son, you don't need to explain yourself to me," he said. "As short sighted as your decision was, I let my anger get the better of me, you were just doing what you thought was right," he explained.

"I've decided to join them, Father," I said. "To help stop Malefor," I clarified.

Father let a smile creep up his lips, "I knew your noble heart would win out in the end," he told me before embracing me in a tight hug. "I know how hard it is for you to leave our village unprotected, but you're making the right choice, and I'm proud of you," he said.

I hugged my father back, "Do you think mother would be proud too?" I asked him.

I felt my father's nodding head rub against the fur of my neck, "I know she would be," he said. "As I know she looks down upon us now with a smile on her face and love in her heart," he sobbed a bit before releasing me from his embrace and turning to the Red Ranger. "Take care of him, despite his stubbornness he's a noble cheetah at heart, you won't find one better than he," he told the Red Ranger.

Red Ranger nodded, "We're happy to have him sir," he said. "I promise we'll bring him back to you once this is all over," he added with a respectful bow of the head.

Which father returned, "I know you will," he said before turning to me. "Good luck my son, and may your ancestors guide your blade, strong and true," he told me.

Noble words, but I easily read in between the subtext. "I love you too, father," I said with a smile. With that, I said my goodbyes to my fellow villagers, and just as we were about to leave.

"Good day Cheetahs of Avalar!"

Everyone stopped to see an elder fire dragon land softly on the ground behind us. His scales were a bright red, his head fins were a fiery yellow and quite thick, as was the large goatee that jutted from his chin. His wings were yellow and tattered from age. "Sorry I'm late, I sometimes have a hard time remembering where your village is," the dragon laughed. I knew who this was, this was Flame, the Fire Guardian. My father had dealings with him in the past, but what he was doing here I had no clue.

Flame looked over the four Power Rangers, who mind you, hadn't de-morphed yet. "And I'm assuming these are Spyro's Power Rangers?" he asked.

The Red Ranger nodded, "Yeah, I'm guessing you're that Guardian Swiftfoot mentioned was coming?" he said. What? This was the first **I** had heard of this! I guess father forgot to tell me amid all of the excitement going on around here today.

Flame nodded, "Fire Guardian, Flame at your service," he introduced himself. I knew little of Flame despite my father's relationship with him and the other Guardians. But I did know from stories that Flame wasn't exactly the most formal dragon, according to father, most of the dragons were shocked he was chosen for the honor at all. "When Chief Prowlus told me the Power Rangers arrived in his village, I just had to see them for myself, and I must say, you do **not** disappoint," he said. "So, what are you guys underneath those outfits? Cheetah? Moles? Please tell me you're not apes," he then questioned.

The four rangers all looked to each other before they all simultaneously powered down, revealing their true forms. "Humans, actually," said Kevin.

Flame didn't know what to make of these bizarre creatures, "Hoo-Mans?" he questioned, the word being clearly alien to his tongue as well as mine. I honestly didn't know what their race was called either until this point. "Interesting choice, but I'm not one to question Spyro's judgment," he then said before lowering himself closer to the ground. "Well, hop on, the other Guardians are waiting," he said.

The Red Ranger turned to me, "Come on Zenith, you're a ranger too," he beckoned me.

Flame's eyes widened, "Swiftfoot's cub is a Power Ranger too? Prowlus said there were only four," he questioned. I chose not to waste words, instead showing him my morpher, "Oh… well alright then," he said before one by one we all hopped onto Flame's back.

Riding a dragon was a rare honor, they were usually pretty reluctant to carry passengers. But I guess Flame felt this was the most efficient way to transport us to Warfang. However I noticed the humans weren't exactly bracing themselves. "You guys might wish to hold onto something." I warned them.

Yellow Ranger quickly grabbed onto one of Flame's back spikes while Kevin just raised an eyebrow, "Why's that?" he asked before Flame suddenly took off. The force from the takeoff caused Kevin to flop onto his side.

"That's why," I said simply, earning a laugh from the red and green rangers. Kevin just grumbled as he picked himself back up. "I don't think I've quite gotten all of your names," I said, knowing that it would be far simpler to work with them if I knew their real names.

"Dylan,"

"J-Jess,"

"Kevin,"

"We met before, remember? My name's Dean?"

How did I forget Dean's name? I guess I was just so annoyed with him at the time I had somehow managed to block it from memory. Being with these four was going to take some getting used to, they weren't like cheetahs, that much was obvious. It would take time for me to truly adjust.

* * *

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

To say riding on dragon back was an experience would be an understatement. How the hell Zenith stayed calm enough to make small talk I'll never know. It was like being on a roller coaster with no seat belt. I had to try to keep myself seated by grabbing onto one of his back spikes dear life. This was not helped by Flame making **no** attempts to compensate for passengers. I swear if he does a loop and I somehow survive the fall I'm gonna kill him!

I chanced a peek at our surroundings and saw we were currently flying over a forest. The height we were currently at was more than enough to kill us if we somehow managed to fall off. I wasn't really one to fear heights, I was a skateboarder af4er all and had dealt with my own big drops over the years. But even I felt a bit uneasy looking down from this height.

"So, have you ever been to Warfang?" I asked Zenith, trying to get my mind off this insane dragon ride.

Zenith shook his head, "No, I rarely venture farther than The Swamp," he told me. "But I've heard stories from those who have, they all describe it as a great city with sprawling architecture and teeming with life," he explained.

Should have figured Zenith wouldn't know, to be honest, I didn't know what to expect at this point. What was "sprawling architecture" to a guy who lives in a straw hut? A trailer park? The Suburbs? Detroit? Who knows? Honestly, I was a bit less concerned with the "where" and more the "why". Why was Flame taking us to Warfang? It had to be more than just to show us off to his Guardian buddies.

Eventually I noticed Flame coming in for a landing, I looked over to see we were headed right for a very fancy looking temple. An open balcony seemed to be his target as he softly landed right on it. "Alright, here we are," he said before we all got off the Fire Guardian's back. "Follow me, the others are waiting in the main chambers," he said before leading us to said chambers. As we walked, I couldn't resist drinking in the scenery, this temple was definitely more elaborate than the one Spyro had us operating out of. It was almost castle-like, complete with banners for each element and even a few murals for good measure. Doorways lined each side of the hallway Flame lead us down.

I noticed someone in one of them, a smaller dragon, about the size of a bear. He was working on something as I could hear the sounds of a wrench cranking. He clearly didn't know I was watching him as he was too wrapped up in whatever it was he was working on.

"Yo Dylan!"

I turned to see Kevin beckoning me, "I'm pretty sure they're expecting all five of us," he said. I just rolled my eyes and joined up with the others. Flame led us into a large room surrounded by those same elemental banners I saw earlier. Three other dragons were in there waiting for us. I assumed that these were The Guardians. You could tell just by looking at each one which element they belonged to.

The Ice Guardian was far more slender then their compatriots, female if I were to hazard a guess. She wore a stern expression on her face that told me she wasn't one to tolerate any nonsense. Her scales were a pale blue with a snow white underbelly. Her head spikes were slicked back, as were her horns which were pure white. She had a line of three icicle-like horns jutting out her jawline. Her wings were blue with white wing membranes that had seen more than their fair share of wear and tear. Her snout was pointed, almost like a beak.

The Electric Guardian looked pretty weak, but was clearly male. His body language gave me the impression that he was the timid type. His scales were a bright, vibrant yellow color with purple markings running from the top of his head all the way to the tip of his tail, like someone had dumped a can of purple paint all over his body. His head spikes were jagged, pointing backwards. He had a small purple goatee on his chin. His wings were purple and jagged, resembling bolts of lightning. His purple horns were smooth and formed a loose "s" shape.

The Earth Guardian was a rather large dragon. I couldn't help but notice him glaring at me with his pine green eyes. His scales were a deep, earthy brown color with a sage colored underbelly. A large green goatee hung from his chin that kinda resembles leaves. His horns were stone gray, big, and curled like those of a ram. His wings were brown with tattered green membrane that, honestly, I would be amazed if he could still fly with them.

Flame stepped proudly between us and his fellow Guardians. "Rangers, these are the great Guardians of Warfang!" he introduced them.

"This is Koria," he said, referring to the Ice Guardian.

Koria just sorta nodded her head before Flame waltzed over to the Electric Guardian.

"This nervous little bowl of gelatin here is Bolton," Flame introduced him.

Bolton looked to us, confusion on his face. "Wh-What are they? Th-They kinda look like deformed, hairless, apes," he commented in a timid, soft voice.

The Earth Guardian snorted, "Surely these can't be the warriors Spyro chose to battle Malefor, they look so weak and frail, especially the **yellow** one," he grumbled in a gravely deep voice. Jess sorta shrunk inward at that comment.

Flame chuckled nervously, "Sunshine over here is Tremor, don't let him fool ya, he's a big softy," he said before playfully elbowing Tremor, who simply growled. "And of course you know me, Flame," he said proudly.

Tremor turned to Flame, "I want to see it, this "armor" they use," he said. "Did Spyro not describe the morphers as being able to summon some sort of armor, did he not? I want to see proof that these are indeed the Power Rangers," he questioned.

We all looked to each other, morphing for us wasn't so much of a big deal, but Zenith still had difficulties with containing his energy. But, I wasn't about to tell the hulking earth dragon "no", so…

"_**Dragon's Roar! Ranger Form!"**_

"_**Fire!"**_

"_**Ice!"**_

"_**Earth!"**_

"_**Electricity!"**_

"_**Aether!"**_

The Guardians, save for Tremor, stood in awe as they witnessed the transformation. Flame even doing a little clap like an excited school girl.

Koria blinked, "Well, they're colorful, I'll give them that,"

"Where did the purple one's tail go?" asked Bolton.

"Hmph, I expected more," grumbled Tremor.

Kevin seemed to take exception to this, "What? Did you expect a laser show? An opening number from KISS maybe?" he asked before Dean grabbed him by the shoulders and shook his head, silently telling him that picking fights with the giant earth dragon probably wasn't the best idea.

But still, there's one thing that I was getting kinda sick of waiting on, a rather **important** question. "Look, now that we've all been introduced, do you mind telling us why you guys wanted us to come here?" I asked.

Flame was caught completely off guard, but Tremor's reaction was even **more** shocking. "You didn't tell them?!" he snapped at the Fire Guardian.

"I… I was going to!" Flame stammered "I forgot okay! Get off my back **Tremor**!" he protested.

Koria rolled her eyes, "How you became a guardian I'll never know," she sighed before turning to us. "Look, we think we may have information Spyro might want to know about," she said.

All of us were a bit confused, but intrigued at the same time. "What information?" I inquired.

Tremor stepped forward, "We think we may know where Cynder is," he said.

Almost instantly the gem in my belt flew out like the cork of a wine bottle. "I-Is it supposed to do that?" questioned Bolton before a hologram of Spyro appeared from it.

"What are you talking about? What happened to her?!" he asked. There was clear desperation in his voice. This wasn't the first time I'd heard Cynder's name, Ignitus mentioned it when he took over my body. Whoever Cynder was, she must have been **quite** important to Spyro.

All four guardians were kinda surprised to see Spyro again. I guess I would be too if I were them. "It happened shortly after you hid yourself away," Flame said, "She… she didn't take it well, she left to go find you… and we hadn't heard from her since," he explained.

Spyro seemed almost **heartbroken** upon hearing this, like his heart had just been ripped from his chest and stomped on. "Cynder..." he said to himself before turning his eyes back to Flame. "Why would she do that? I told her what I was doing! What I had planned! She said she understood! Why would she-" Spyro began to yell, someone's gotta stop this before Spyro reaches through the hologram and starts choking someone.

"Dude!" I snapped at Spyro before turning to The Guardians, "You said you think you might know where she is, where exactly?" I asked. I knew I was going to regret cutting Spyro off like that. But I kinda felt like we needed to get to the point before Spyro had a coronary.

Flame looked to his fellow guardians, as if not wanting to tell us. Tremor nodded and Flame steeled himself. "We think the Order of Malefor may have her held captive," he said. "Some of our scouts reported seeing some mages in dark robes transporting a large black dragon a few nights ago," he explained.

"WHERE?! WHERE ARE THEY HOLDING HER?!" suddenly screamed Spyro.

Flame instantly got skittish, shrinking inwardly as the purple dragon screamed his lungs out at him. Spyro, you're not helping! "Th… They were headed for the Catacombs! But we can't seem to get our soldiers in close enough to search them!" said Flame.

Spyro then turned to us, "Go there! Find her! NOW!" he snapped at us before mercifully cutting off the call. I reluctantly picked the gem off the floor, fearing Spyro might return to scream our heads off some more. But thankfully nothing of the sort happened and I was able to stick it back in my belt with no issue.

"Well… I guess we're going to the catacombs, guys," Kevin said.

"Not so fast!" said Tremor, "The Catacombs are heavily guarded, the mages won't let anyone near," Tremor warned us.

"We can handle it," I said. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Spyro will kill us if we don't go soon," I added.

Tremor sighed, "He's just worried about Cynder, they were... very close," Tremor said.

"How close are we talking here?" asked Kevin.

"Kevin!" Protested Jess.

"What?! I feel like it's an important detail!" replied Kevin.

Koria sighed, "They were mates," she said flatly.

Despite wearing a helmet, I could almost see Kevin's face drop when he heard that revelation. "Oh…. Ooooh..." he sounded.

Well, that certainly explained why Spyro flew off the handle. Apparently he had a girlfriend and never told us! I mean, far be it from me to go prying into a dragon's personal life, but this would have been nice to know about beforehand!

Zenith grumbled, "If we're going to go, we should make it soon, my Dragon Spirit is freaking out right now and it's giving me a headache," he said. I still needed to ask him about that at some point.

But we had more important things to worry about right now. "So, What's the plan?" I asked.

* * *

_**A Short Distance Away…**_

_**Unknown Dragon…**_

* * *

"One of us Guardians will accompany you, they should be able to get you in close enough to get into The Catacombs, but I'm afraid the rest will be up to you five, with any luck, we can get Cynder, or whoever this dragon they're holding is, out in one piece,"

They found her? Why didn't they tell me? They knew how important she was to me! Tremor's plan had revealed to me where they thought she was, and that's all I needed to know.. I watched as Flame piled those five… things, onto his back and flew them out of the temple.

Without a second's hesitation I flew right after them. The three remaining guardians were all shocked when they saw me fly by. "SOL! NO! WAIT!" Tremor called after me but I wasn't about to stop for anything!

Don't worry mom, I'm coming!

* * *

**A/N: Well! That escalated quickly.**

**It seems our heroes are going on a little rescue mission, will they be able to find the former Terror of the Skies? What does the Order of Malefor have planned for her? Is it related to their war on Earth? Stay tuned!**


	21. Unfortunate Son

**Chapter 20: Unfortunate Son**

* * *

_**Mountain of Malefor…**_

_**Malefor…**_

* * *

If there was one thing I hated more than most… one thing I simply could not stand, it was being idle. I felt like I was wasting precious time, but circumstances forced me to abstain myself from action. I had used up far more power throwing around the Power Rangers than I had previously believed. I wasn't completely drained like I was when I first awoke, but I wasn't strong enough to lay waste to the Human Realms like I wanted to.

"Lord Malefor,"

Ugh, the last thing I needed right now was to deal with my worthless underlings. "What is it Scorn?" I grumbled.

Scorn hesitated a little, "There's uh… there's been a development with our order's sect in the Dragon Realms, something you might be quite interested in," he explained to me.

"Get to the point," I snarled.

Scorn took a moment, but finally, he came out with it. "They've captured Cynder," he said.

My eyes widened, I had wondered where my former general had gone. I honestly had expected to find her aiding Spyro and the Power Rangers. "Elaborate," I commanded Scorn.

"They found her searching for Spyro in the northern territories, in her old castle actually," said Scorn. "They uh… lost a few members trying to capture her but they eventually managed to knock her out with a spell," he explained. "They're currently holding her in the catacombs, waiting for your command as to what to do with her," he said.

The image of Cynder being bested by mere mages was a humorous one, I guess age had dulled her abilities. But this brought up a curious question, what **do** I do with her? I could simply kill her and be done with it, I certainly had no love for my former general considering she was equally responsible for my imprisonment. But on the other hand, I felt like killing her was too merciful. No… like Spyro, I wanted her to **suffer**. I'd do it myself, but as I've mentioned before, I wasn't at my full strength yet.

However, there was another concern I had. "What about the Power Rangers, any news on their whereabouts?" I asked. I knew Spyro far too well, if there was any sign his precious little girlfriend was in danger, he'd send his stooges running to her aid.

"None," Said Scorn.

I sighed, "Very well then, tell them to hold her for now," I said. "But I also want you to ask Rikor to make another monster and take it to the Catacombs for some extra insurance," I told him.

"Y… You want me to go to the Dragon Realms?" Scorn asked.

I glared at him, "Did I stutter?" I asked him rhetorically. "Cynder is a slippery little minx, she's already slipped from my claws twice, I won't risk a third," I told him. "So you will go to The Catacombs, and I will hear no complaints, or I will tear the tongue right from your mouth! Am I understood?" I roared at him.

Scorn shrunk inwardly, "I… It shall be done my lord," he said before dashing out of the room to go do as I asked. Scorn put up an impressive front, but I was more than aware that he was afraid of me. He was wise to be, I could kill him with a single blow if I wanted to. But so far he proved useful.

For now, I had things to ponder… specifically, the fate of my former general…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Outside of the Catacombs…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

Flame had elected to be the one to take us to the Catacombs to go rescue Cynder. On the way there I couldn't help but wonder what Cynder was like, I mean… Spyro never talked about her to us so she was kinda shrouded in mystery. I honestly would kinda like to know what to expect when we reach her.

Maybe Flame knows? "Hey Flame, weird question, but what was Cynder like?" I asked.

Flame was caught off guard by the question. "Uh… well… she was… uh..." he fumbled. It kinda seemed like Flame was desperately searching for **good** things to say about Cynder. "She was kinda… assertive… strong..." he said. It didn't sound like Flame thought much of Cynder, he almost sounded like he was **afraid** of her. "She was definitely a good guy! E… even if she yelled at me a lot," he hastily added. "She didn't like me much, always thought I "didn't take things seriously enough"," he said. Yeah… called it. "Don't worry though! I'm sure she'll like you guys!" he added.

Well this had done very little to help me feel any less nervous about confronting her. I mean, from the sounds of things it seemed like she hadn't taken Spyro's departure very well. And consider we were the reason he departed… what if she took it out on **us**? I don't want to have to fight Spyro's girlfriend is what I'm getting at here.

"_Oh I doubt that would happen,"_ said the voice of Ignitus. "_Cynder may be a little rough around the edges, mostly due to her less than ideal upbringing, but deep down she's a good dragoness,"I have faith that she will recognize the good you do,"_ he explained. A much more glowing explanation than the one offered by his successor. I really hope Ignitus is right…

But none of this would matter if we didn't rescue her first. Speaking of, Flame finally came in for a landing. "This is as close as I can get without the mages shooting magic missiles at us," said Flame as he landed. "I'm afraid the rest is going to have to be up to you guys," he explained as we all got off one by one. "Don't worry, I'll be here waiting until you get back, I'd offer you backup but… age hasn't exactly made me a better fighter," he said. Yeah that figures, we always end up having to do it ourselves in the end.

We all moved in, hiding behind a bush as we saw two mages guarding the entrance. I turned to the other rangers. "Okay guys, we need to do this smart, we tip them off and they might just end up killing Cynder," I said.

Kevin just cocked his head to the side, "Dylan, we're five teenagers in brightly colored spandex that scream our attack names and occasionally pilot giant robot dragons, we aren't exactly built for stealth," he explained.

"Well excuse **me** for wanting to keep Spyro's girlfriend alive!" I protested.

"I'm just saying, unless they're both blind **and** deaf, they're gonna notice us," Kevin said.

I grumbled to myself before deciding to change tactics, "Okay, fine, so we aren't exactly built for subtlety," I said. "But can we at least do this in a way that doesn't make the cultists panic kill Cynder? I'm pretty sure Spyro wants us to bring her back with her head still attached," I asked.

"_**Purple Dragon Saber! Blaster Mode!"**_

Out of nowhere Zenith had apparently lost his patience and decided to just snipe the two guards with his saber… blaster… thing. "There! You two can stop bickering like cubs now!" he said.

I looked to the now probably dead guards and back to Zenith a few times. "DUDE!" I snapped. "We were **trying** to come up with a plan!" I complained.

"Well the guards aren't a problem anymore," Zenith said. "The Catacombs are quite large, we have a lot of ground to cover and I don't want to waste precious time listening to you and Kevin argue about strategy!" he said.

Okay, he kinda had a point there. "Okay, fine, let's just go and try to save Cynder," I said before heading for the entrance. The other rangers followed closely behind. As I passed the guards, I could hear them groaning slightly, letting me know Zenith hadn't just straight up killed them.

However, things got instantly complicated once we got in. I could only describe the inside of the catacombs as someone trying to transform underground ruins into a lousy platform game level. There were gaps and platforms everywhere, how the hell did those cultists manage to drag a fully grown dragoness through a place like this?

Dean looked around, "Man… where do we even **start**?" he asked.

Zenith stepped forward, "The catacombs stretch for miles, it's been used as a tunnel to and from Warfang before and used to connect to the Mountain of Malefor," he explained. "My guess is they took her to where the Well of Souls used to be," he theorized.

Kevin approached Zenith, "And where exactly would that be?" he asked.

"The center of the catacombs," he said, "But that's only speculation, I've never explored them myself, I've only ever heard stories from those who have," he admitted.

"Wait… why take her there?" Jess then asked.

"It's where Malefor's connection to the Dragon Realms was at its strongest," Zenith explained, "And from what I hear, The Order of Malefor are quite big on historical significance," he said before turning his back to us, "Come, this should be the way to the center," he said before walking off, the rest of us following behind him.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Catacomb Center…**_

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

I can't believe I'm back in this place again. This had been our chosen place of operations back when we were still searching for Malefor. I thought I had left this place behind when we became aware of his presence in the Human Realms. But I wasn't about to go against the wishes of my master. Of course… as bad as it was being in this dark, smelly underground hell hole again… it was made even worse by having to travel with one of Rikor's monsters.

"Are we there yet? How about now? Now? Now?"

This had been going on since the very second we arrived in this place. Rikor's monster was some kind of bizarre squid creature. It's tentacles were flopping all around as it walked as if it were just a rubber costume. It's eyes were comically large and stupid looking. Rikor had named it Kalamitamari, it's ink could apparently immobilize it's enemies for a short period, a skill obviously meant to prevent Cynder from attempting an escape.

But by Lord Malefor… did he have to give it such a high pitched, annoying voice. "Are we there yet? Are we-" it continued to ask before I finally had enough and grabbed it by one of it's many tentacles.

"Listen you, if you don't shut up right this very minute, I will destroy you **myself**!" I snarled at the thing. Thankfully, this scared the accursed thing enough to finally get it to shut it's gob. "For once I'd like Rikor to make a monster that **can't** talk," I grumbled to myself before we finally reached the main chambers.

I knew the place well, this was supposedly where The Grublins had tried to sacrifice Spyro and Cynder during the original war. My brothers had a black dragoness chained to the center platform. She was quite slender, her horns thin but long. Looking at her, you'd be forgiven for thinking she was younger than she actually was. Her dark black scales almost made her fade into the darkness of the poorly lit chamber. Her emerald eyes however seemed to practically glow in the dark.

I knew full well who this was, everyone in the Order knew of the former Terror of the Skies, Cynder. "Well well well, at last we meet Terror of the Skies," I said.

The very mention of her old title ignited a rage within the old dragoness. "No one calls me that!" she snarled, she even tried to lunge at me, but her binds prevented it. "Keeping me here is pointless, I don't know where Malefor is and even if I did I wouldn't tell **you**," she said.

Oh my… she didn't know! The very idea of it caused me to laugh, which noticeably worried Cynder. "Wh- What's so funny," she said, trying to act tough but her stammer gave away her fear.

"Malefor has been free for quite some time, Cynder," I said.

Her face dropped upon hearing that, but it quickly contorted into a vicious snarl. "Spyro and I will stop him, just like we did before!" she said.

I just shook my head, "No… no I don't think that will be happening again," I said before turning to Kalamitamari, "Me and my friend here are going to make sure of that, Kalamitamari, show her," I ordered the monster.

The second that command left my lips the squid hit Cynder point blank with an ink shot. I noticed her face begin to strain as her limbs refused to move. "W-What is this?!" he questioned.

"Kalamitamari's ink has a paralysis agent in it, consider it a little bit of insurance," I said. "You might as well give up now Cynder, no one's coming to save you, and you can't save yourself," I explained before something occurred to me, something I had always wondered about Cynder. "Such a pity, you were once feared… respected… only to throw it all away by joining Spyro's worthless cause, what a waste," I said. I worded it more as a put down than a question. But I always wondered why she would willingly give up the power Malefor bestowed on her and turn on him like she did.

Cynder glared at me, "You say that like I ever had a choice," she said. "What Malefor did to me… what he made me do… turning my back on him was the best decision I ever made," she said.

"Amusing response, given your current situation," I commented.

"Go to hell!" she spat at me before she seemed to come to some kind of realization. "Why so interested wolf boy? You have doubts about your master?" she asked me.

I felt my lips furl and a growl rumble from my throat. "You dare question my loyalty to Lord Malefor?!" I snarled. "I gladly serve his righteous cause! A righteous cause **you** turned your back on! I don't question my loyalty, I question your sanity for denying the gifts he bestowed upon you!" I corrected her. I was not about to be questioned by a treacherous cur like **her**!

Cynder snorted, "Gifts? Is that what you call being abused and manipulated for most of your childhood? Having every ounce of my free will slowly chipped away at until I was little more than a hollow husk, a marionette on strings," she said. "You think you're special? How long until Malefor gets tired of you and casts you away like he does all of his toys?" she asked me.

"I AM THE HEAD OF THIS ORDER!" I snapped, shocking everyone in the room with my outburst except for Cynder, who just kept her stone cold glare. "Do you know how long I've worked, how many bodies I had to step over, how much blood I had to spill to get this position?!" I roared. "I am Malefor's greatest prophet! His chosen champion! _You_ were nothing more than a puppet who lost her strings," I said.

Cynder however just laughed, I felt my anger build as she continued her insulting cackle. My devotion to this order was not to be laughed at! It was my life! My reason for being! "That's so adorable," she said. "Did he tell you that himself? Or is that what you tell yourself to make yourself feel important?" she asked me.

I felt myself losing myself a little… doubt beginning to creep in. Malefor never did refer to me as such… she was right about that. But he treated me as his second in command, I was his chosen warrior! "I have nothing more to say to you," I said, turning my back to her. "I will not waste my breath on a fool who spurned her higher calling for some foolish notion of "free will"," I said before walking off. She was a fool, Malefor's cause was a holy one, the world was diseased and he was our salvation.

And I was the sword which would lead the charge of his holy crusade. However, as I was about to leave, two of my brothers came running up to me. "Brother Scorn! We have a problem," one of them said.

"What?" I snarled, still a bit angry from Cynder's ignorance.

The two seemed hesitant once they realized I wasn't in the best of moods. But eventually, one of them had to come out with it. "We spotted the Power Rangers in the south tunnels," he said.

My eyes widened. What were they doing here?! No! NO! They'll ruin **everything**! "Kalamitamari!" I called. The squid monster came running, "The Power Rangers are in the catacombs! I want them destroyed before they even come within a mile of this chamber!" I ordered him.

The squid bounced around, "Oh boy! You got it boss! I'll make those Power Rangers wish they were never born!" it said excitedly.

I turned to the two Order members. "Take him to where you saw the Power Rangers, if even **one** of them reaches Cynder, it will be your heads!" I warned them. Without another word, the two took Kalamitamari to go deal with the Power Rangers.

This was the last thing I needed right now! I felt a slight headache throb in my head, too much stress… it was starting to get to me. I needed to lay down…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Outside the Catacombs…**_

_**Sol…**_

* * *

I flew as fast as my wings could carry me, I was never a particularly fast flier, it was something the other young dragons constantly mocked me for. But I had to push myself as much as I could, go as fast as my body could allow. Mom was in those catacombs! Mom… who had been missing since I was little… she was there… she was waiting for me… we could be a family again!

All I had to do was knock down a few cultists and I could have my mom back! It was all I wanted… just to have at least one of my parents in my life again… just a little further Sol… just a little further and you can get your mom back! However…

"Sol?!"

Suddenly something snatched me out of the air, grabbing me by the wings. I craned my head over to see Flame was holding my wings in his claw. "What the hell are you doing here?! You should be back at the temple!" he snapped at me.

I struggled to get free, "My mom's in there! You can't keep me from her, Flame! Let me GO!" I protested.

"We don't know that for sure!" Flame pointed out, "But even if she is, you can't go in there, Sol! You can't fight with breath elements, remember?" he told me.

"I can too!" I protested, demonstrating my wind breath.

"I meant you can't use it effectively," Flame said flatly. "Sol, I know you miss your mother, but if you got killed she'd be devastated! **I'd** be devastated!" He said as he came in for a landing, plopping me onto the ground. "The Power Rangers will rescue her, there's no point in you going in there and getting yourself killed," he told me.

The Power Rangers… I knew the name all too well. Mom said they were why dad had to disappear… and by extension… they were why **mom** disappeared. "I don't trust them!" I snapped. "If it weren't for them mom wouldn't even **be** in there!" I argued.

Flame seemed downright offended by that statement. "SOL! That is **not** fair!" he growled. "Your father left because of Malefor, not the Power Rangers, if you want to be mad at someone, be mad at **him**, not the selfless heroes who are currently risking their lives trying to save your mother!" he lectured me.

"NO!" I snapped, "I'm going to save my mom! If they get to her first they'll just take her away like they did dad!" I said before bolting for the catacombs.

"SOL! GET BACK HERE! DON'T BE STUPID!" Flame protested as he gave chase. I blew my wind breath at him, tripping him up and causing him to fall right on his face. I'm sorry Flame, but I have to do this… I won't lose mom… not like this.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Back in the Catacombs…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

These stupid ruins just seemed to go on forever.

I didn't dare even try to guess how long we've spent down here just walking and occasionally hoping between platforms like we were Super Mario. I also didn't even want to try to think about how we were gonna get Cynder out of here if she was too weak to walk, which was a pretty likely scenario given the situation. God… why can't these cultists just keep her in their creepy basement like most kidnappers?

And apparently, I wasn't the only one growing tired of our little adventure. "Dude, how much father?" Kevin whined from the back.

I should mention that Zenith had **no** problem traversing the catacombs. Thanks to our powers, we were all ridiculously nimble, but Zenith was on a whole other level. Effortlessly bounding from platform to platform like a… well like a cat. "Will you stop whining?" he asked Kevin, "It shouldn't be that much farther," he said.

"Dude you've been saying that for the last hour and a half!" he said. God, was that **really** how long we've been in here? Or was Kevin exaggerating?

"It's only been twenty minutes," Zenith corrected him. Okay good, I really hate to think we've kept Cynder in the clutches of an evil cult for over an hour.

"It sure felt like an hour!" Kevin replied.

However, suddenly Kevin got nailed by a mysterious black substance that knocked him right off the platform he was on and into a thankfully not too deep pit. I looked over the edge, "Kevin? You okay down there?" I asked.

Kevin's response wasn't a good one. "I… I can't move!" he said.

"Of course not!"

We all turned to see a giant squid monster flanked by two cultists on the opposite side of the platform we were on. "My paralyzing ink will freeze you rangers in your tracks!" the squid cackled in an annoyingly high pitched voice. Considering we were dealing with The Order of Malefor, and by extension, Malefor himself, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised to see a monster down here, but still… this was the last thing we needed right now.

"Guys, don't let him hit you with his ink," I said before dodging an ink shot.

"Really?" questioned Zenith, "We never would have figured that out without your help Dylan," he said sarcastically. Ya know Zenith, I really don't need your sass right now.

Zenith quickly moved from platform to platform before summoning his saber and going straight for the monster. The squid suddenly wrapped his tentacles around his saber "Uh-uh-uh! You shouldn't play with knives! Someone could get hurt!" the squid said before ripping the weapon right out of his hands and tossing it into a pit.

Great, not only could the squid paralyze us with his ink, he could easily disarm us too. Zenith tried fighting it hand to hand, but the squid just batted him away like a pesky fly. I leaped over the gap between me and the squid and nailed it with a flying kick, knocking it to the ground. "OW! No fair!" the monster whined.

"Dude! You have paralyzing ink! Don't you talk to me about "fair"!" I scolded the squid before dodging a tentacle swipe.

"Well **I'm** a bad guy, I'm not _supposed_ to play fair," the squid said before firing his ink again. I didn't have time to dodge and it nailed me dead on. Suddenly I lost all control of my limbs and fell limply to the ground like a marionette who's strings just got cut.

Let me tell you right now, being fully awake but unable to move is a **terrifying** experience made even worse when you know there's a monster right in front of you that really wants you **dead**. "Aww… looks like the Red Ranger can't play anymore!" the monster teased me.

God this sucks…

* * *

_**Jessica Fox…**_

* * *

Dean and I had elected to try to get Kevin out of the pit, hoping Dylan and Zenith could hold the monster off long enough. Kevin was in a bad way, he couldn't move a muscle thanks to that stupid squid's ink. "Guys… please tell me this isn't permanent," Kevin said as Dean picked him up off the floor.

That was a good question, we had no clue if the ink's effects wore off or not. That was a scary prospect to be faced with though, permanent paralysis of the entire body. I shivered at the very thought. "You can't move anything?" I asked Kevin.

"Nothing but my face," Kevin said.

"_Interesting,"_ puzzled the voice of Volteer, "_This doesn't seem to work like any paralysis I've seen… it seems more magic based than biological,"_ Volteer explained. I guess, I mean, the face is an oddly specific thing to spare from paralysis, but how exactly does that help us? "_Give me a minute, I need to ponder this further,"_ Volteer asked me.

Dean turned to me, "Jess? You okay? You're zoning out," Dean said.

"It's Volteer," I said, "He might have an idea but he needs time to think it over," I explained.

Dean leaned Kevin against a wall, "Sorry bud, but you'll be safer down here until we can think of something," he said.

"Oh no, please, it's not like I can offer any sort of resistance since… ya know… my body isn't working right now," said Kevin.

Dean looked at me, "Hold long does Volteer need?" he asked me.

I could almost feel Volteer pondering it for a minute, "_Tell him I'll need at least five minutes,"_ he told me.

"Volteer says five minutes," I told Dean.

Dean summoned his ax, "I can do five minutes," he said before we both leaped out of the pit and onto the platform Zenith, Dylan, the cultists, and the monster all occupied. But things looked to have gotten worse as Dylan looked like he got hit by the ink himself.

"Hey guys… got inked… please help," Dylan whined.

However, before we could do anything, the monster stepped between us. "Oh look! Two more rangers to paralyze!" he cackled before Dean and I just barely managed to dodge another ink shot.

Zenith quickly joined our side. "Please tell me you two have a plan," he asked us.

"Volteer might, but he says he needs five minuets," Dean told Zenith.

Zenith stared blankly at Dean. "Who the hell is **Volteer**?!" he asked.

"My dragon spirit," I said.

Zenith lowered his head in annoyance before shaking it off. "Fine, we keep it busy for five minutes," he said before turning to me, "You should keep your distance Jess, your bow can give us some much needed cover fire while Dean and I engage the squid," he said.

Well, I guess that's what I get for being the archer of the group. But I wasn't really complaining, the less likely I am to get paralyzed the better. Dean and Zenith quickly charged the monster, Dean slashing at it with his ax and Zenith trying to fight it hand to hand.

"_**Bow of Lightning!"**_ I summoned my bow, the weapon appearing in my hands just as it always did. I began to take occasional pot shots at the squid. However, the second one hit… something odd happened. It just went nuts! Flailing around like it just found a spider in it's shirt before flopping onto the ground and writhing around.

This apparently meant more to Volteer than it did to me. "_Of course!"_ he said. "_Jessica, I know this may sound crazy, but try to hit Dylan with a lightning arrow,"_ he told me. Wait… what?! Are you nuts?! "_Just trust me,"_ Volteer said.

Well, okay… I reluctantly aimed my bow at Dylan, who was still in the same spot we left him in. "I really hope you know what you're doing, Volteer," I said before firing an arrow at him. Dylan's body began to convulse as he cried out. I felt myself cringe watching it happen, feeling really guilty.

Zenith turned to me. "I meant shoot at **the monster, **Jess!" Zenith snapped at me.

Dylan suddenly sat up, turning to me. "Jess! What the hell?!" he questioned before he noticed he was moving again. "What the? I-I can move?!" he questioned.

I don't get it… why did that work? "_Because the monster is weak against electric magic,"_ Volteer told me. "_That's why it reacted like it did when you hit it with your electric arrow, so I theorized that, since it's paralyzing ink was magic based, that using electric magic would cancel out it's effects!"_ he explained.

It kinda made sense… the squid was an aquatic creature, and water conducts electricity, thus making it more potent against a monster that probably had a lot of excess water in it so it could function on dry land, it did look particularly slimy after all… or it could just be magic mumbo jumbo and I could be putting way too much thought into this.

Speaking of, the squid noticed Dylan now standing upright. "What the?! How are you moving?! I inked you!" it objected.

"I guess you could say I got a little shock to the system," said Dylan.

Zenith turned to Dylan, "Really?" he said dryly.

"RAAAGH! NO FAIR!" The monster protested, even going to far as to stomp it's feet like a petulant child before turning to me. "Let's see you zap your friends back to life when you're paralyzed you little cheater!" it said before firing it's ink right at me!

I took cover behind a pillar before the ink could hit me. If I went down the team was screwed! "CHEATER! CHEATER! **CHEATER!**" the squid continued to scream as it shot it's ink at me. It's not cheating you stupid squid! It's exploiting a weakness! Get it right!

However, while it was distracted with me, Dylan leaped up from behind it, sword held up high. "_**Elemental Power! Blazing Slash!"**_ he cried out before cleaving the monster in two with his burning blade. "Again… paralyzing ink… you don't get to talk about playing fair," he said.

However, suddenly we heard someone cry out. All of us rushed over to the source of the sound to find a small black dragon clawing at a cultist. "Where is she?! Where's my MOM?!" he screamed. Judging by the voice, he couldn't be much older than a teenager.

Who was this dragon? Where did he come from? The poor cultist could do little more than throw his arms up and try to protect himself. "Get him off me! GET HIM OFF!" he cried.

Zenith marched over to the cultist and grabbed the little dragon by the abdomen, pulling him off. "NO! LET ME GO!" the dragon protested, thrashing his limbs around and trying to bite at Zenith's arms.

"Not until you tell me who you are and why you're here," Zenith said.

"That's none of your business!" the dragon snarled.

However, we suddenly heard the sound of a vial being broken, all of us turned around to see the monster we thought we just killed suddenly growing in size as the other cultist ran for cover. How the hell it managed to fit in here was a mystery in itself.

"Oh that's not good," said Dylan.

* * *

**A/N: You see what you do Sol? How will our heroes get out of this one?**

**Sorry this chapter's a little late guys, I kinda got distracted with other things today and have no real excuse… sorry.**

**I also made the decision to make Sol a little bit younger in order to make his attitude and behavior towards the Power Rangers a little more believable.**


	22. A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

**Chapter 21: A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing**

* * *

_**Catacombs…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

"HA! HA! HA! HA! Now what are you rangers gonna do?!"

What indeed? I mean, it seems obvious on the surface right? Summon the MegaZord, beat up monster, save the day. It's a dance we've danced several times and probably would several more afterwards. But it wasn't that simple. I mean, we were **indoors**, not exactly an ideal battleground for a MegaZord battle, and that wasn't even taking into account that we currently had a guest. I recognized this "guest" as the small dragon I found tinkering on something back when we first arrived at the temple. Why he was here was a mystery known only to him. But in spite of his, well honestly, brazing display of sheer stupidity, I wasn't exactly willing to risk squishing him with the MegaZord.

That being said however, it wasn't like the monster had those same reservations, a point proven when he tried to smash us with one of his giant tentacles. We just barely managed to get out of the way as the giant limb slammed onto the ground. "What do we do?" asked Jess, "Can we risk the Mega Zord in a place like this?" she asked me.

Zenith did a double take, "Mega-what now?" he questioned. This told me that Zenith either didn't have a Zord of his own, or wasn't aware of it. The former would make sense, Spyro did consider his morpher a failure and probably wouldn't go through the trouble of making a Zord for a broken morpher.

"Our giant robot made of other smaller giant robots," Kevin explained.

This didn't seem to help Zenith as he was still clearly confused. But we kinda had bigger problems right now, both figuratively, **and** literally. Dammit, do we try to draw him out of the catacombs? I doubt he'd follow, he **was** guarding Cynder after all. But we can't fight him without Zords… not without getting squished.

"We're gonna have to risk it, _**We Need Dragon Zord power NOW!**_" I called. This was a bad idea, I knew it deep within my gut. But what other options did I have here? Sit here and wait to be flattened by a giant squid? However, the fact that our Zords smashed their way through the ceiling didn't exactly make me feel much better. God, this is gonna cause a cave in isn't it?

One by one we got in our respective Zords. Well, all of us minus Zenith who chose instead to try to keep our new dragon friend away from the action. "_**Dragon's Roar! Zords Combine!"**_ I called out.

The Zords all clicked into place before finally forming the mighty Dragon's Roar MegaZord! A Zord that just **barely** fit into the catacombs. "Man, I don't know if we can fight like this, Dylan," Kevin said.

"If we have to we can break away into the individual Zords," I said, "But for now, we have a squid to take out," I said before the MegaZord slowly stepped towards the squid, carefully stepping around the platforms.

The squid seemed rather amused by this, "What's the matter rangers? Tight squeeze?" he asked with an amused giggle.

Our only reply to that was a giant metal fist right to his stupid face. "OW! That hurt!" whined the squid as it staggered back. Fighting in such tight quarters was going to be tough, but thankfully the squid himself was equally limited, as he couldn't seem to quite swing his tentacles effectively without them bouncing off platforms or rock formations.

Or maybe I spoke too soon, as suddenly the squid managed to entangle the MegaZord in its tentacles. "HA! Gotcha!" he laughed. "Lookie, I caught a **big one**!" It laughed before slamming us right into the side of the rocky wall. Dirt and rocks spilled all over the MegaZord as it fell to the ground with a mighty thud.

"Man, I don't know how many more of those we can take," said Dean.

"We've gotta hold strong guys, Cynder's counting on us!" I said. But in truth, I kinda knew Dean was right, fighting in such tight conditions like this wasn't exactly working out for us. If this kept up, well… Cynder's gonna be down four rescuers…

* * *

_**Zenith…**_

* * *

This wasn't good, the other rangers Zord thing wasn't exactly winning the fight. Their metal man wasn't nearly as limber as the squid was. Worse yet, the little dragon was getting restless. I was doing my best to keep him away from the titans that currently did battle, but it wasn't easy.

"Get out of my way!" snarled the dragon.

"Do you have a death wish?!" I asked him, "Do you not see the giants currently fighting in this room? Do you **want** to be squished?!" I snapped at him.

The dragon then suddenly hit me with what I think was a strong gust of wind, which sent me tumbling across the stone floor. The second I was able to regain my senses the little dragon was making a break for the next room! "You've got to be kidding me!" I growled in annoyance before giving chase. This idiot was going to get us **both** killed!

Things instantly got worse when the squid noticed the little dragon running by. "Hey! Where do you think **you're** going?" it asked before readying one of its tentacles to smash him. Thankfully however, the MegaZord blocked it with one of it's giant metal arms, allowing the young dragon to pass by safely.

"Zenith, go after him! We'll handle the squid!" instructed the voice of Dylan. I nodded and gave chase, I wasn't much help to the other rangers right now anyways.

I followed the dragon down a hallway that seemed to go on forever until eventually I had found him stopped in front of an army of men in robes. At the head of the pack was a black furred wolf in black armor. "Well well well, what do we have here?" he said to the dragon.

"_**Purple Dragon Saber!"**_ I called out, summoning my saber to my paw. But doing this finally caused the wolf to notice me. And given the vicious snarl that came from his throat, he wasn't exactly pleased to see me. "What is this?!" he questioned. "No! NO! Four of you is bad enough already! I will not suffer a fifth!" he complained.

"If you don't want to suffer my blade, wolf, you'll tell me where you're keeping Cynder!" I demanded, getting into a fighting stance to show that I wasn't bluffing.

The wolf drew his own sword, "Please, you think you can cross swords with me? Scorn Dreadfang?" he said, as if I was supposed to know or care what he called himself. His name was meaningless to me, he was just another enemy to cut down.

"We Avalar Cheetahs fear no one," I said. "Especially not a mangy mutt like **you**." I added.

That last comment really set this "Scorn" character off. "I have been insulted **enough** for one day, you filthy Avalarian savage!" he roared before taking a swing at me, easily dodged.

"We are **not** savages!" I argued before slicing him right across the chest. "We are warriors!" I roared before slashing him again.

Scorn staggered back as his followers all stood in awe. "Call yourself whatever you like!" he snarled, "But when this is over, all you'll be is a **cadaver!**" he growled before taking more swings at me.

Each one easily dodged, this wolf was skilled, I'd give him that much. But he had no technique, no discipline. He relied too much on anger and strength, making him easy to counter. With one swift motion, I disarmed the wolf and sent him back to the ground. "Give up, you can't match my power," I said.

Scorn was visibly frustrated, his face scrunched into a wild snarl, he looked almost **feral**. "No! There is no swordsman better than I! NO ONE!" he roared before lunging at me, fangs and claws bared.

"_**Elemental Power! 500 Aether Slash! Final Attack!"**_ I called before slashing into the wolf exactly five hundred times in the blink of an eye, catching him right in mid leap. So fast in fact that he didn't even react to it until I finished and struck my pose. The wolf fell to all fours in a parade of sparks.

"This battle is over," I said flatly before marching towards Scorn's followers, who out of fear, all stood aside and let me and the young dragon through… what an utter waste of my time...

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Back with the Rangers…**_

_**Dylan Foutler…**_

* * *

Things weren't exactly improving here, it had become abundantly clear that I had jumped the gun in assuming the squid shared our tight quarters disadvantage. His noddle like tentacles had no problems maneuvering through the catacombs, while the Megazords giant bulging metal limbs could barely deliver so much as a solid punch.

"Guys, we need to think of something," said Kevin.

Come on, there's gotta be some way out of this, I refuse to let a freaking **squid** of all things be the one to finally kill us. But this was quite the bind we were in, I mean, how do we fight a giant squid in such tight quarters?

"It's no use!" said Jess, "We're just too big, we can't fight him in here," she said.

Then it hit me, something that, admittedly, I should have thought of before. "Then we make ourselves smaller, break off into individual zords!" I said.

"But the individual zords are weaker than the MegaZord, and he's already kicking our rears," said Kevin.

"What choice do we have?" said Dean, "We can't fight him like this," he added.

It was settled, we all hit our collective buttons and the MegaZord deconstructed back into its individual parts.

The squid, of course, wasn't intimidated. "Ha! You think that's gonna help you? I'll crush all of your stupid metal dragons!" the squid laughed before snatching Dean right out of the air with his tentacle.

"Crap! Guys, he's got me!" cried Dean.

Good job Foutler, not ten seconds into your little plan and it's already falling apart. But well… in for a penny in for a pound. "Keep your Zords moving and lay on some heat, he can't keep up with all four of us," I said.

It has been a long time since we've tried to fight anything in our individual Zords. So we were all more than a bit rusty. But it didn't really take long for things to start to click and the poor squid had no clue what to do.

First I managed to get Dean free by hitting the squid with my Zord's fire breath, causing him to lose his grip. Kevin quickly pounced on the squid's back, the Zord's teeth biting right into the squid's head, causing it to cry out and flail it's tentacles all around like it's hair was on fire.

Dean wasted no time getting back into the fight, having his Zord shoulder check the squid right into the wall with a painful crack. "Ha! With a hit like that, I'd kill it at LineBacker!" Dean laughed.

The squid however wasn't going down without a fight. It immediately slapped Dean away and ripped Kevin off it's head, slamming Kevin's Zord to the ground with so much force that it shook the ground beneath us. But I wasn't about to let this stupid squid make a comeback! I quickly smacked it across the face with my Zord's tail, sending it sliding across the ground.

Soon all four Zords joined side by side. "Alright guys, let's take it over the top guys," I said. "All together now!" I called out before each of us launched our Zord's breath attacks at the squid all at once.

The squid couldn't get out of the way in time and all four elements nailed him dead on. The sheer power of all four dragon elements was just too much for the squid, and he fell to the ground before exploding in a large fireball.

Victory was ours.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Zenith…**_

* * *

It took a moment to reach the center of the catacombs. I had to knock around a few cultists along the way, but we were so close now. I could see the center chamber coming up, she **had** to be in here… however, when we got there… well… I wasn't expecting this.

Cynder wasn't there, but there were a bunch of bloody and beaten cultists strewn about and a broken chain in the center of the room. I inspected the chain, it looked like something… melted it… like acid or something similar.

The little dragon looked around, sniffing at the air occasionally, "Wh-where is she? Where's mom?" he asked as he frantically searched the room for his mother, which I assumed was Cynder.

I began to piece it together, "She must have escaped on her own while we were busy with Scorn and his squid," I theorized. That certainly seemed to be the most likely scenario, and explained all the beaten cultists. But that begged the question… where did she go? How did we not run into her while moving through the catacombs?

"_Cynder's pretty familiar with the catacombs,"_ said my dragon spirit, "_She probably found another exit,"_ he theorized. Well… it's not how I expected the situation to be resolved, but I can hardly complain. After all, whether it was by her own claws or ours, she was free, she was safe, and our job was done here.

Well, I may have been fine with the result, but **someone** else wasn't. "NO! She was supposed to be here!" the little dragon yelled. "We were supposed to be reunited! Be a family again! Why? Why would she just leave?" he asked.

"Maybe because she didn't know we were down here and didn't want to remain captured by an evil cult?" I said dryly.

The little dragon didn't take kindly to that, "You may be okay with that, but I'm not!" he yelled. How old was this dragon? Fourteen? A little old to be **that** attached to his mother. "I'm sick of this! I'm sick of not having my parents! I'm sick of being stuck in that stupid temple with the guardians!" he said.

"Look," I growled before grabbing him by the chin, forcing him to look me in the eyes… well, **visor** to be more accurate, but you get the point. "She's free, she's away from Malefor and his order, I'm sorry you miss your parents, but it's better that than her being turned into the Terror of the Skies again or whatever else Malefor had planned for her," I said. Who even **was** this child? I didn't know Cynder had a child, and with who?

Just then, the other four ranges soon joined us in the room. They all seemed kind of shocked by all the bodies littered throughout the room. "Wow… someone had fun in here," Kevin commented.

"Where's Cynder?" asked Dean.

"It seems she escaped while we were busy dealing with The Order and that monster," I explained.

Kevin crossed his arms, "I guess Cynder's not the "damsel in distress" type," he joked. "So I guess we're done here?" he asked.

I looked at the small dragon, "Not yet," I said. "Who are you? And more importantly, why are you even here?" I asked. I wanted answers, and I wanted them **now**.

All five of us surrounded him, all of us wanted an explanation. He was reluctant at first, just angrily looking away from us before the impatient stares of five Power Rangers finally managed to break him. "My name is Sol," he said, "Cynder's my mother," he explained.

Well at least he had a name now. And it seems I was right in assuming he was Cynder's child. However that was only half of the story, and Kevin wanted to know the other half. "Cynder had a kid huh, and who's daddy?" he asked. A little more… "forward" than I would have been, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about that myself.

Sol glared at Kevin, "Look at me, who do **you** think it is?" he asked. It was hard to tell to be honest, he certainly took after his mother more than his father. He had her markings, her scale color, the only real differences were his gold underbelly and red and gold head fins. Wait… those kind of looked like…

"Spyro had a son?" I questioned.

Everyone in the room was shocked. Most of all my dragon spirit "_I had a son?_" he questioned. Everyone stood silent in the temple chambers, not too sure how to react to this revelation. I mean, part of us should have assumed he was Spyro's son, Cynder and him were mates after all.

Sol sort of walked to the center of the room before sitting himself down where his mother was once held. "I never knew him, my dad," he said. "He vanished when I was too little to remember, mom was all I had until she vanished too," he explained. "Flame says it wasn't long after dad left, but he's wrong, it was a year, Unlike my dad… I **do** remember my mom…" he said before beginning to choke up, "I miss her so much… I just want her back… that's why I came here… I thought if I reached her first I could convince her to come home..." he said before he suddenly turned an angry eye towards us. "But you five had to come along and ruin **everything**! Just like you **always** do!" he yelled.

"Whoa! How is this **our** fault?!" asked Kevin.

"If it weren't for you, dad would have never left, and if dad never left, mom wouldn't have either!" Sol said before breaking down into tears. "I hate you! All of you! If it weren't for you stupid Power Rangers I'd have a family! A _real_ family!" he yelled.

Dylan stepped forward, "Sol, that's not fair," he said, "We're just trying to protect people, we had no intention of taking away your family," he explained. Sol was young, emotional, he wanted his parents back and needed someone to blame for their disappearance, to put a face on his pain. For whatever reason, he chose **us** to be that face.

"Then give him back!" Sol snapped, "Give me back my dad! My mom! Let me have my family back!" he demanded.

This was an unwinnable situation, we all knew we couldn't give Sol what he wanted, Cynder was probably long gone by now and Spyro was needed where he was. "I thought so," Sol said before walking off, disappearing into the darkened halls.

Kevin stood next to me, "Man… I guess he didn't inherit his dad's sunny disposition," he commented. Ancestors Kevin… don't make me hit you.

Jess looked around, "Well, what do we do now?" she asked.

Dylan sighed, "Nothing else **to** do, Cynder rescued herself, so I guess we just leave," he said.

Dean hung his head low, "I know we technically won… but man does this feel like a loss," he commented.

I shook my head, "Nothing to be done about it now, we should head back and inform Flame of what happened," I said. I still found it odd though… how did she escape without us running into her? The mind boggles…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Cynder…**_

* * *

They had no idea I was there, just as I wanted it. I just sat there and watched them, using my shadow breath to hide in one of the walls where they couldn't see me. I didn't expect to see Sol down here… he's gotten so big since I last saw him… it broke my heart to see how upset he was that he didn't find me. But I wasn't ready to confront him **or** the Power Rangers yet.

It was… weird… seeing them in the flesh. Spyro always talked about them before he disappeared but I never thought I'd actually _see_ them. I knew this meant Spyro was indeed alive, and that made me feel a little better, I won't lie. It was nice to know Spyro was still alive. But it was also bittersweet...

Malefor was back… ancestors… the thought still made me sick to my stomach. I needed to work on something to help Spyro defeat him… but I couldn't do that if the Power Rangers found me. I knew Spyro would demand they bring me to him… he was probably losing his mind right now.

We'll be reunited in due time my love… and I look forward to that day. But for now… I had other things that required my attention… things I needed to do… to **create**. We started this war together, Spyro and together we shall finish it.

With one little sigh, I vanished into the shadows…

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Elsewhere in the Catacombs…**_

_**Scorn…**_

* * *

I limped through the halls of the catacombs. The pain from that Purple Ranger's attack still stung throughout my body, but that pain paled in comparison to the humiliation I felt right now.

He beat me so easily… he barely even tried and he still managed to completely humiliate me. Cynder's mocking words repeated in my mind on endless repeat…

"_You think you're special?"_

"_Did he tell you that himself? Or is that what you tell yourself to make yourself feel important?"_

"_How long until Malefor gets tired of you and casts you away like he does all of his toys?" _

I found myself collapsing to one knee, using my sword to keep myself from completely falling over. I inhaled sharply as I tried to withstand the pain. I was broken, both physically **and** mentally… when I entered this forsaken catacomb… I was Scorn Dreadfang… proud warrior mage… head of the Order of Malefor… I knew who I was.

But now? Now I was **nothing**… just a broken wolf brought to his knees by an Avalar Cheetah in purple tights! I was depressed… hurt… but most of all… I was angry. The more I thought about that purple ranger, the more I wanted him dead! He… he would pay for this humiliation… he will **die** for this… and it will be my **my** blade, and **only** my blade! All of them will! Every single Power Ranger in **existence** will fall broken before my feet! Of this… I swear!

But to do this… I need power… power… if they could enhance their abilities through magic, why can't I? I began to laugh to myself, images of broken and dead Power Rangers danced through my head, it was the most beautiful sight… Each image that passed made the laughter grow louder and louder.

Normally I'd fight the madness, but not this time… no… I welcomed it like an old friend. I let it's embrace take me, what else was a broken wolf to do? All that remained, all that I cared about now… was the end.

The end… of the Power Rangers.

* * *

**A/N: Well, isn't that a happy thought? It seems Scorn has finally lost his marbles and has sworn bloody vengeance on all Power Rangers.**

**I know this chapter is short, but ending it here felt right, and with me being distracted by the NFL draft and all… I didn't want to end up staying up until midnight writing this again.**

**Don't worry, we haven't seen the last of Cynder, no we'll see her again soon enough.**


End file.
